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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



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in 2011 with funding from 
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WHAT A GIRL CAN 
MAKE AND DO 




New Ideas 
for 
Work 
and 

Play 



^What 

t\1jIR6WMAKE AND DO 





BY 

Lina Beard 
and 
Adelia B.Beard 

New \brk 
rles Scribners 
Sons 

S02 







THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Goweb Received 

OCT, U !90£ 

0LA88 ^XXo No, 
COP* R 



Copyright, 1902, by 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

Published, October, 1902 



TROW DIRECTORY 

PRINTING ANO BOOKBINDING COMPANY 

NEW YORK 



PREFACE 



This new century, bringing with it the strong, healthy, 
independent, athletic American girl, makes a demand for 
new opportunities for the exercise of both mind and body. 
Resourcefulness and a wish to do things for one's self are 
American traits strongly developed in the girls as well as 
in the boys ; and, keeping step with their brothers, our 
girls are walking steadily onward, with new hopes and 
new ambitions in work and play, and are reaping new 
rewards. 

This book is the result of the authors' earnest desire to 
be of some assistance to their young friends by encouraging 
them in their wish to do things for themselves, and by 
pointing out some directions in which they may gratify this 
ambition. Within its covers are suggestions for a wide 
variety of things, useful, instructive, and entertaining, which 
a girl may make and do, with wholesome and genuine pleas- 
ure. The ideas that are worked out are essentially those of 
the authors, and are not, as is often the case, derived from 
other books. The drawings, too, are all original, as in 
"The American Girl's Handy Book," to which this is a 
companion volume. 

In conclusion the authors wish to express their sin- 



vi Preface 

cere thanks to the Delineator and the Woman s Home 
Companion, whose prompt and generous courtesy, in re- 
turning such original drawings and material as were used 
in their respective magazines, has greatly facilitated the 
preparation of this work and added to its interest. 

Flushing, June 16, 1902. 



CONTENTS 



WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE 



CHAPTER I. i 

What a Girl Can Make with Hammer and Saw 

The Workshop, 4; Tools, 5; The Carpenter's Bench, 9; A Dressing- 
table, 11; A Wash-stand, 14; A Portable Corner Clothes-press, 15; 
A Five O'clock Tea Table, 16; A Piazza Flower-stand, 17; A Hooded 
Chair Made of a Packing-box, 21. 



CHAPTER II. 

Possibilities of an Easter Egg 

A Frog that Will Swim, 26; Spinning Egg, 30 ; The Kaleidoscope, 31 ; 
Easter Hare, 32 ; Hares made of Eggs, 33 ; The Brownie, 34 ; Fruits, 
Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes, 36 ; The Radish, 37 ; Water- 
melon, Plum, Acorn, 38 ; A Dainty Vase, A Unique Little Teapot, 39 ; 
The Sugar-bowl, Egg Dippers, 41. 



26 



CHAPTER III. 
A Paper Easter 45 

An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster, 45 ; Changing an Egg into a 
Rooster, 46; The Butterfly That Will Fly, 51 ; The Easter Lily, 52. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Vacation Work with Nature's Material 57 

Cone Hanging-basket, 58; Sweet-grass Mats, 59; Corn-husk Basket, 
60 ; Lavender Sticks, 62 ; Braiding Palm-grasses and Corn-husks, 64. 



viii Contents 



CHAPTER V. page 

Collections 69 

Mounting the Pictures, 70; Splitting the Paper, 72; Hanging the Pict- 
ure, 73 ; A Portfolio, 74 ; Sunshine Diary, 75 ; A Guest Book, 78 ; 
Calendars, 80 ; Illustrating Books, 82 ; Colored Pictures and Photo- 
graphs, 83 ; A Photograph Book, 84. 

CHAPTER VI. 
Original Valentines 89 

Appropriate Valentines, 90 ; Four-leaved Clover, 90 ; Easel Holding a 
Picture, 91; Heart-shaped Valentines, 93; The Fire-cracker, 94; Pot 
of Growing Flowers, 95 ; Valentine for Little Friend, 98. 

CHAPTER VII. 

Vegetable Animals and Fruit Lanterns 101 

Potato Turkey, 102 ; A Shoat, 103 ; To Make a Turtle, Pumpkin Lan- 
terns, 105. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Pasteboard Models for a Home Drawing Class 107 

The Pyramid, 107; Pasteboard Model of a Church, 108; To Make a 
House, in. 

CHAPTER IX. 
Quick Ink Pictures 118 

Ink Landscapes and Marines, 119; An Ink Butterfly, An Odd Design, 
The Fantastic Horses, 122 ; A Pair of Birds, Ink Plant Sketches, 123. 

CHAPTER X. 
Moving Toys 125 

The Merry-go-round, 125; The Flag Dance, 130; Button-mould Tops, 
132. 

CHAPTER XL 
Home-made Pyrotechnics 135 

Three-story Red, White and Blue Pin-wheel, 135 ; Fence Pin-wheel, 137; 
The Sparkling Calumet, 140; Roman Candle, 142; Snap-fire, 142; 
Rushing Comet, 143; The Pistol, 144; Sky-rockets, 145. 



Contents ix 

CHAPTER XII. page 

Monotypes ' 148 

Materials, 148 ; How to Paint, 149 ; To Paint Heads, 149 ; The Print- 
ing, 150; Monotone Monotypes, 151; Suitable Papers, 151. 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Priscilla Rugs 153 

Color Schemes for Rugs, 154; The Fire Rug, 155; The Weight, 156; 
How to Cut and Sew the Rags, 157; Cotton and Wool Rugs, 158; 
All-cotton Rugs, 158; Warps and Fringe, 159; Dyeing the Cloth, 
160 ; Wool Dyes, 160 ; Cotton Dyes, 162. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A Peanut Noah's Ark 163 

How to Make a Pair of Wings, 165 ; To Make a Spider, 166; To Make 
Rabbits and Camels, 167 ; To Make a Chick, an Elephant, 168 ; an 
Owl, 169; Storks, Lobsters, 170; Noah, 171 ; To Make the Ark, 172. 

CHAPTER XV. 

A Flower Feast 175 

To Make the Pineapple, 175 ; A Fish, 176 ; Apples and Fruit Salad, 177 ; 
The Cups and Saucers, 178; Snapping Bonbons, 179; Baskets of 
Green Burs, 180 ; Dandelion Amusements, 181. 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Basket-weaving 185 

Materials for Weaving, 185; To Prepare the Reeds, 186; Weaving the 
Basket, 186; Covers and Fastenings, 191 ; To Make a Hinge, 192. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 194 

Material, 196 ; The Door, 200 ; The Chimney, 201 ; To Make a Pond, 
204 ; The Walk, 205 ; A Well, 206 ; Acorn Bucket, 207 ; The Trees, 
208; The Grass, 209; The Fence, 210; A Little Turnstile, 212; 
Birch-bark Canoe, 212; Wood-pile, 213; A Sawbuck, 213. 



x Contents 



CHAPTER XVIII. page 

Queer Things on Paper and Blackboard and How to Put Them There. 215 
A Funny Little Pig, 215; A Hen, 217; A Rose, 218; A Head, 220; 
The Three Blind Mice, A Fish, 221 ; Turtles, 222 ; To make a Duck, 
223 ; The Tulip, 224; Common Daisy, 225. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Home-made Musical Instruments 227 

How to Make a Harp, 228 ; A Dulcimer, 229 ; Music from Finger-bowls, 
230 ; A Willow Bugle-horn, 231 ; Bones, 232 ; Crystal Flute, 232 ; 
Music from a Comb, 233 ; Grass-blade, Sea-shells, Musical Fountain, 
234- 

CHAPTER XX. 

What to Make of Empty Spools 236 

To Build the Parthenon, 236 ; To Make a Set of Furniture, 238 ; The 
Lamp, 239 ; A Wagon, 239 ; A Memorial Arch, 240 ; To Blow Bub- 
bles with a Spool, 241 ; Cannon, 243. 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Christmas Decorations 244 

Effective Portiere, 246 ; Star and Shepherd's Crook, 246 ; A Sconce, 248 ; 

Tin-foil Christmas-tree Festoon, 248 ; Tin-foil for Fringe Ruching, 249 ; 

Fancy Boxes, 252 ; Cornucopias, Christmas Stockings, Bobbinet Bags, 

253 ; Holly-leaved Festoons, 254 ; Pop-corn Balls, 255 ; Strings of Red 

Cranberries, Peanuts, 256; Jewelry for the Tree, 257 ; Gilded English 

Walnut, 258. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Christmas Devices 260 

An All-day Christmas Pie, 260 ; The Magic Fireplace, 263 ; Christmas 

Tray, 265 ; A Santa Claus House, 266 ; Serving Toast, 267 ; Piece de 

Resistance, 268 ; Jelly, Apples, 269. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Picture Writing and Sign Language 271 

Symbols, Flower Writing, 273; Indian Powwow, 274; A Letter of 
Colors, 276. 



Contents xi 



WHAT A GIRL CAN DO. 



CHAPTER XXIV. page 

Statuary Tableaux 281 

The Stage, 281 ; Lights, Pedestals, and Costumes, 282; Make-up, 284; 
The Armless Bust, 285 ; Portrait Medallion, 286 ; An Egyptian Statue, 
287 ; Pygmalion and Galatea, 288. 

CHAPTER XXV. 
Witchery 292 

Feather Tests, 293 ; Touchstone Charm, 294 ; Naming the Bedposts, 295 ; 
Witch Writing, 295 ; Home or Travel, 297 ; Dreams, 298 ; Ghost 
Ideas, 299 ; Fortune's Wheel, 300. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Living Alphabet 303 

Directions for Drill, 308 ; The Shields, 308 ; The Letters, 309. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Odd Gardens 310 

A Country Garden in the City, 310 ; The Boxes, 313 ; The Flowers, 313 ; 
A Water Garden, 314; The Soil, 315; Water Plants, 316; Simpler 
Water Gardens, 317; Plants Grown Artificially in Water, 317; The 
Green Sponge, 318; Vegetables, 319; Friendship Garden, 320; 
Memory Garden, 321. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Active Games 322 

Weavers and Weft, 322 ; Hoop Dance, 324 ; The Figures, 326 ; Hoop 
Tag, 327; The Circus-hoop Game, 328; Hoop-race Game, 329; 
Jumping Rope Conquer Game, 330; Going to Market, 332; Passing 
By, 332 ; Red, White, and Blue, ^t,. 



xii Contents 



CHAPTER XXIX. page 

Expensive Games with Little or No Expense 334 

Ping Pong, 334; The Rules, 337; Scoring, 338; Terms Used in Ping 
Pong, 339 ; A Make-believe Sewing-machine, 340 ; A Parlor Croquet 
Set, 341 ; Rules for Croquet, 343. 

CHAPTER XXX. page 

Basket Ball 346 

Cost of an Outfit, 346 ; Baskets, 348 ; The Ball, 348 ; Set of Players, 
349; Referee, 350; Umpire, Scorer, 351; Time-keeper, Linesmen, 
352; Centres, Forwards, 354; Guard, 355; Rules, 360; General 
Fouls, 362 ; Disqualifying Fouls, 363 ; Playing Suit, 364. 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Some of Our Out-door Neighbors and Where to Look for Them... 365 
Observation Book, 366 ; The Squirrel, 367 ; The Red Squirrel, The 
Chipmunk, 368; The Weasel, 369; Salamander, 370; The Cicadas, 
371 ; Insect Music, 373 ; The Indian Pipe, The Moccasin Flower, 374 ; 
Engraver Beetle, The 'Coon, 375 ; The Flying Squirrel, Luna Moth, 
377; Woodchuck, 380; The Sea-shore, 381; The Jelly-fish, Sea- 
anemones, 382 ; Sea-urchins, 383 ; Starfish, 384. 









PART I 
WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE 




Fig. 9.— The Girl at the Bench. 



CHAPTER I 




WHAT A GIRL CAN MAKE WITH HAMMER 

AND SAW 

HIS is an age when girls go to col- 
lege and engage in athletic sports ; 
when they have their manual train- 
ing, as boys do and are learning to 
use their hands, as never before, in 
all sorts of skilful work. The deftness 
of their fingers is utilized not alone 
in embroidery, or what was once 
considered girl's work, but in the 
manufacture of many useful, artistic, 
and beautiful objects once thought 
beyond their reach. Our girls no 
longer resort to the scissors to sharpen a lead-pencil or to 
their brother's chisel to pull out tacks ; they are beginning 
to know and appreciate the value of tools and are becoming 
proficient in their use. 

If you are one of these modern girls, girls of the twen- 
tieth century, who like to use both brains and hands, a 
little workshop stocked with a few good tools and material 
for carpentry work will give you many hours of pure 
enjoyment. The tool-chest, denied to girls of the past 
generation, is yours for the asking ; the manual training in 
the public schools has given to many of you the advantage 
of learning the use of saw, plane, and hammer, and your 

3 



What a Girl Can Make 



physical culture has produced the strength and energy for 
this active work. 

The Workshop 

Just a room, any room, that will afford sufficient light 
for your work, that is all you need for a beginning. Hav- 
ing the room you have a place for your first tool, if it is 
necessary to collect them one at a time, and it is much 
better to do that than to buy a cheap tool-chest. When 
you have one tool make a place for it and keep it in its 
place. A hammer, a saw, a hatchet, a sharp knife, a 
screw-driver, a gimlet, and a rule are the first tools you will 
need. The writer once made a very good mantel-board, 
cleated at the ends with rounded corners, which has stood 
the heating and drying process of many winters over an 
open fire, without warping, and her tools were simply a 
hatchet, a meat-saw, and a pocket knife. Of course, the 
work would have been much easier and more enjoyable 
had she possessed the proper tools, but this example serves 
to show how few tools are absolutely necessar}^. A plane, 
a chisel, and an auger-bit and brace will be needed later ; 
after that a gouge, a try-square, and a file. These you may 
collect by degrees as your work grows more ambitious and 
you feel the need of them. Hooks, nails, tacks, and screws 
can be bought as required. 

Have a hook for your saw and hang it up, lay your 
plane on its side, make a rack for your small tools something 
like Fig. i, and have a box for your shavings. A shelf on 
which to keep your boxes of tacks and other small articles 
is indispensable ; each of these boxes should be labelled and 
kept in its place ; in fact, to get the full enjoyment from 
your workshop you must keep it in order and the tools just 
where you may always expect to find them. 



With Hammer and Saw 



What the Tools are for and How to Use Them 

The Hammer. — A carpenter's hammer is what you want, 
not a tack hammer, and it should be of medium weight. 
You are to use it in driving nails, in hammering things into 




Fig. i. 

place and in various ways not injurious to the hammer. 
The manner in which you hold this tool will make all the 
difference in the way you drive a nail. The hammer 
should be taken by the end of the handle and the head 
brought down squarely on the nail-head, otherwise the nail 
will slant to one side or perhaps bend. 



What a Girl Can Make 



The Saw. — The panel-saw is best suited to ordinary work, 
one having about ten teeth to the inch. Finer saws make a 
smoother cut, and you will probably find use for several, but 
one is enough to begin with. The saw is used for cutting 
large pieces of wood and for cutting across grain, and spe- 
cial saws serve for special purposes, such as sawing of 
curves and cutting out keyholes. With pencil and rule 
draw the line you wish your saw to follow. Stand above 
your work so that you may see the pencil line ; hold the 
saw firmly in the right hand and with the left grasp the 
board, allowing your thumb to rest on the saw, above 
the teeth. This is to help guide the saw and to prevent 
cutting your hand. Take light, short strokes at first, then 
longer ones, using a little more force, and keep your saw 
at right angles with the board. If your material is large 
and heavy place it across two wooden horses, if light or 
small it is best to use a mitre-box. 

The Hatchet. — You will find a good medium-sized hatchet 
with a sharp edge very useful, for cutting away or trimming, 
but it must be used with care, for to chop too vigorously 
will frequently split the wood. See that your hatchet does 
not follow the grain of the wood unless the grain runs in 
the direction you wish your cut to take. 
The Knife.— Not a dainty pearl-handled pocket-knife but a 
strong, well-made, sharp-bladed jack-knife, large enough 
for all kinds of whittling. The knife is for fine cutting 
that cannot be done with the hatchet, and when one learns 
to whittle out various small articles much has been accom- 
plished. 

The Screw-driver.— It has been said that the feminine mind 
cannot grasp the difference between a screw- driver, a cork- 
screw, and a gimlet, and it remains with you to prove the 
contrary. A poor screw-driver is one of the most exas- 



With Hammer and Saw 



Fig. 2 



ti 



Fig. 3- 



perating of poor tools, and a trial to one's patience and 
temper ; besides, it is of little use attempting to " make it 
do," for it seldom will do. The edge is usually 
shaped like Fig. 2, and it slides and slips out of 
the groove of the screw until it has turned and 
worn down its edges and made the screw use- 
less. Fig. 3 shows the proper shape for a 
screw-driver. The use of the tool is, of course, 
to put in and take out screws, and it is well to 
have two sizes, one for large, the other for 
small screws. Remember that in putting in a screw you 
turn it to the right, and to the left in taking it out. 
The Gimlet. — A medium-sized gimlet will answer your 
purpose. Use it for boring small holes and for starting 
holes for screws and large nails. 

The Rule. — A rule is indispensable for measuring and lay- 
ing out your work. A two-foot steel rule is the most 
useful, as it can be used both for measuring and ruling 
straight lines. A light folding rule is easier to handle in 
taking measurements, but you can make the other answer 
both purposes. 

In taking measurements be as accurate as possible, and 
go over them several times to make sure they are correct. 
In ruling a line use the bevelled edge of the rule, hold it 
firmly in place with your left hand, and with a soft pencil 
in your right draw a line close to the edge of the rule. 
The wide, rather flat carpenter's pencils are the best to use, 
but any soft lead-pencil will answer. 

The Plane. — There are several kinds of planes, but the 
smoothing-plane will probably be all you will need, as you 
will not be likely to attempt to handle unplaned wood and 
will need the smoothing-plane only for finishing and 
smoothing off. 



8 What a Girl Can Make 

In using the plane hold it back of the iron (or blade) 
with your right hand, place your left on the stock (or 
wood) at the other end to help guide it, and push it forward 
as far as you can conveniently reach, bring it back, tipping 
it away from you in so doing, and take another stroke. 

The farther the edge of the iron projects through the 
stock the deeper will be the cut and the thicker the shav- 
ing. To regulate this, tap on the stock at the forward end 
and loosen the iron, then adjust it to suit your work and fix 
it in place by driving down the wedge, which holds it, with 
a few light taps. 

The Chisel. — This tool has a bevelled edge and is used for 
paring off the wood. 

Unless you are quite careful there is danger of cutting 
your left hand in using the chisel, and it is best not to try 
to hold the work, but to fasten it in the vice ; your left hand 
placed on the tool will steady and control it. 
Auger-bit and Brace. — For drilling large holes the auger- 
bit and brace are necessary. The bit resembles a gimlet in 
its spiral edge, but is not wedge-shaped, and the hole it 
makes is of unvarying size. You may have several bits for 
large or smaller holes. The brace is a handle which fits 
on the top of the bit, and makes it quite easy to manage. 

The Gouge. — There are several kinds of gouges, 
the difference being in the shape of the blade ; 
their curves vary from the shallow curve, Fig. 
4, to the deeper one, Fig. 5. One with a mod- 

Uerate curve will prove the most useful. As the 
f~\ name suggests, the gouge is for gouging out 
Fig. 4. Fig. 5 . the wood where it is necessary to make a 
groove, but be careful not to press too hard 
on the tool at first, as one is apt to make too deep a cut, 
and do not put your left hand in front of the blade. 



With Hammer and Saw 



The Try-square. — The square is a metal strip which forms an 
exact right angle and is used to test one's work and keep it 
" square " ; it is also used 
for ruling square cor- 
ners. Fig. 6 shows its 
use in squaring off the 
end of a board. Figs. 7 
and 8 show how the 
try-square will fit on an 
edge that is perfectly square and will not fit an imperfect one. 
The File.—T\\vs> tool is not indispensable, but is useful for 
smoothing off rounding edges and rough corners. Files for 
metal and those for wood differ, and should not be used 
indiscriminately. Rub the file back and forth over the sur- 




Fig. 6. 





Fig. 7- 



Fig. 8. 



face to be smoothed, but do not press on it too heavily. If 
you are to use metal in your work a metal file is necessary. 
For wood a slightly curved surface is best. 

The Carpenter's Bench 

When you can attain to a regular carpenter's bench you 
will indeed be happy, but until then use a strong kitchen 



io What a Girl Can Make 

table that sits firmly on the floor or, better still, is fast- 
ened so that it cannot move. Have a carpenter add sides 
{a, Fig. 9), and a vice (b, Fig. 9). See page 2. You can hardly 
get along without a vice, for it is impossible to hold some 
of the work firmly enough without it. 

The Horses 

These wooden horses are convenient for holding boards 
when they are to be sawed, and for lifting work from the 

floor. You should have 
two of them, like Fig. 10, 
made by the carpenter. 

The Mitre-box 

This very useful con- 
trivance is simply three 
pieces of narrow boards 
put together in the form 
Fi k of a box, having two 

sides and a bottom, but 
no ends or top. Eighteen inches is a suitable length, and 
its height should be no greater than the width of your saw. 
The mitre-box is used for holding the wood and guiding 
the saw at any angle. In the sides of the box are slits run- 
ning from top to bottom, some passing diagonally, some at 
right angles through the boards. Any carpenter can make 
you a mitre-box ; do not attempt one yourself, for to be of 
use it must be accurately made in every particular. 

Choosing the Wood 

It is well to know a little about what kind of wood to 
select when you are buying your material, for if you wish 
to make a durable article, one that will last long enough to 




With Hammer and Saw 1 1 

pay for the making, you should not use wood that will warp 
and in a little while spoil your piece of work. 

The heart-wood is always the best: this consists of boards 
cut from the heart, or centre, of the tree ; they are harder, 
dryer than others, and less likely to warp or twist. The sap- 
wood, which is the part nearer the surface, contains so much 
sap it is difficult to season and will generally warp. 

Select the boards yourself if possible, and see that they 
are planed equally on both sides and have square edges. Do 
not take a cracked board, a board with knot-holes or loose 
knots, or one that seems damp or musty, and be sure, if you 
can, that all your wood is well-seasoned. 

Soft woods are best for your purpose at first, and while 
pine is very good, white-wood is better, and is easily 
worked. 

What to Make 

And now that all is ready and the workshop well stocked, 
what shall we make? What shall we not make, rather? 
Suppose we begin with a few simple pieces of furniture 
suitable for a summer cottage, a log-camp, or a play-house. 
We will use boxes, clothes-horses, or anything of the kind 
that will make a good foundation for the article and save 
extra work. When you feel that you can construct a piece 
of furniture without such helps, do so by all means, but at 
first do not scorn the humble box and barrel, they are excel- 
lent things to practise on. 

We will start with 

A Dressing-Table 

Since the writer made one herself for her room in a log- 
house in the mountains of Pennsylvania, she is quite sure it 
can be done with very little practice in carpentry or cabinet- 



12 



What a Girl Can Make 



making. The dressing-table is made of two pine shelves, 
two cigar-boxes, two small brackets, and an ordinary mirror. 
For the large shelf choose a board about twelve inches 

wide or wider, if you 
have one, measure the 
space your dressing- 
table is to occupy, 
mark the size on the 
board with a pencil, 
using your try -square 
to make your line at 
right angles with the 
edge of your board, 
and saw off the board 
at the ruled line. If 
the room is neither 
plastered nor ceiled 
and the uprights are 
left uncovered, let 
the large shelf reach 
across from one up- 
right to the next, and 
make the smaller 
shelf just long and 
wide enough to fit in 
between. Saw out 
your supporting 
braces after the pat- 
tern given in Fig. n, 
with the grain of the 
wood running up and down, making six in all ; two for the 
large shelf, two for the small shelf, and two for the little 
side-brackets. Draw a line at each end of your shelf where 




The Dressing-Table 



With Hammer and Saw 



13 



the brace is to be fastened, and on this line bore two holes 

entirely through the board. With screws long enough to 

reach through the shelf and into 

the braces fasten the shelf and 

braces together, Fig. 12. Bore 

a hole near the bottom edge of 

each brace, as in Fig. 13, and 

directly over each brace screw 

into the top of the shelf, as near 

the edge as possible, a screw-eye, 

Fig. 14. Cover both shelves with 

pretty cretonne, putting a ruffle 



\1 




Fig. n. 



V 



Fig. 12. 




on the large shelf and drawing the material neatly over the 

edges of the smaller one. 

On each end of the large shelf tack a cigar- 
box, which you have previously painted white. 
These boxes are for holding brushes and combs. 
Screw strong hooks into the uprights at the proper 
distance from the floor, then hook your large shelf 
on by the screw-eyes at the top, and screw the 
braces to the uprights through the holes at their 
lower corners. The upper shelf, not being so 
heavy, needs only the hooks and screw-eyes to 

support it, and screws at the bottom of the braces are 

unnecessary. Hang this only a little way above the other 

shelf. Make the small brackets 

of thinner wood and let them be 

square, of a size to fit the uprights. 

One brace for each bracket is all 

that is necessary, and the braces 

must, of course, be smaller than 

those used for the shelves. Paint the brackets white like 

the side boxes ; enamel paint is the best to use, as it gives a 



Fig. 13- 



±1 



Fig. 14. 



H 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



hard, smooth surface. Only the hooks and screw-eyes are 
required to hold the brackets. Hang the mirror with its 

bottom edge resting on the 
top shelf, as shown in the 
illustration. 



A Wash-stand 

to go with the toilet table is 
constructed on the same prin- 
ciple ; the shelf used for this, 
however, must be wider in 
order to hold the wash-basin. 
If cutting a round hole in the 
shelf, like Fig. 15, is too diffi- 
cult, do not attempt it, but 
leave the surface plain and 
place your bowl on top. 

Make your braces quite 
strong and screw them to the 
wall. Make side-brackets, as 
for the dressing-table, and 
cover them and the shelf with 
white enamel cloth. Cut the 
edge of this in points, turn it 
over and tack to the edge of 
the shelf with white-headed 

The illustration will give you an idea of the appear- 

this wash-stand. For 




The Washstand. 



tacks, 
ance of 



The Towel-rack 

use two broom-sticks, cut one shorter than the other, and 
paint them white. Fasten them together with strong cord, 
leaving a six-inch space between, and hang them over the 



With Hammer and Saw 



15 



wash-stand as shown in the illustration. Though the top 
stick is shorter than the other, both must be long enough 

to reach across and rest against 
the two uprights of the wall. This 
allows space at the back and gives 
plenty of room for the towels. 




Fig. 15- 



A Portable Corner Clothes-press 

Use two folds of an ordinary, 
large-sized clothes-horse for the 
frame of your clothes-press. Make two three-cornered 
shelves with back edges at perfect right angles and meas- 
uring half the length of the 
cross-pieces of the frame. 
These shelves are to rest on 
the cross-pieces, therefore 
you must saw off the corners 
at the back in order to make 
it fit, Fig. 16. Across the 
outer edge of the top shelf 
nail securely a strip of wood 
three inches wide, having its 
top edge on a level with the 
top of the shelf, Fig. 17. Into 
this strip, as well as into the 
top cross-pieces, screw 
clothes-hooks, placing them 
about eight inches apart. 
With short wire-nails, or 
screws if you wish your 
press to be very strong, fasten the top shelf on the upper 
cross-pieces and the other shelf on the middle cross-pieces 




Portable Corner Clothes-Press. 



i6 



What a Girl Can Make 



of the frame. Paint the shelves and the inside of the frame 
white, and over the outside tack flowered cretonne or 
chintz, remembering to have the right side of the material 
turned inward. Fasten a brass or galvanized iron rod to 
the top of the two front uprights and from this hang a 
curtain of the same material. To fit the holders, or fasten- 





Fig. 16. 



Fig. 17. 



Fig. 18. 



ings, for the curtain rod it will be necessary to cut notches 
in the inner corners of the uprights, Fig. 18, otherwise they 
will not be at the proper angle to hold the rod. To pre- 
vent dust from settling upon the clothing, tack a three- 
cornered piece of cretonne over the top of the frame. The 
shoe-box shown in the illustration is not a part of the 
clothes press, but is a convenient addition. 

A Five O'clock Tea-Table 

Make this of an oblong box with square ends and of a 
convenient height when set on end. 

Cover the box neatly with matting or burlap, then make 
four shelves long enough to reach across the sides of the 
box and about nine inches wide. Round off the corners 
of the shelves as in Fig. 19 and make one brace for each 
shelf. To each side of the box at varying heights fasten 
with screws two narrow strips of wood or cleats, two inches 
apart, Fig. 20. Screw the braces to the shelves and paint 
all to match the color of the covering used on the box ; 









JVith Hammer and Saw 



17 



then rest the back edge of the 
shelf on the cleats prepared 
for it and screw the brace to 
the box and the shelf to the 
cleats, Fig. 21. Thus securely 
fastened the shelf becomes 
immovable and there is not 
the slightest danger of its slip- 
ping or tipping. The illus- 
tration shows how the shelves 
are placed. This little tea- 
table is especially suited to 
the piazza, which, from your 
workshop, you may fit up for 
a place to entertain your 
friends most delightfully. 

A Piazza Flower-stand 

will make a charming feature 
of your summer parlor, for 



^= 



J 



Fig. 19. 



C 



Fig. 21. 
2 





Fig. 20. 



A Five O'clock Tea-Table. 

flowers are always 
needed to give the 
finishing touch in 
beautifying the in- 
side or the outside 
of a home. 

For the frame of 
the flower-stand use 
one fold of the ever- 
useful clothes-horse. 
Make twelve three- 
cornered braces, cut- 



i8 



What a Girl Can Make 



ting them out like Fig. 22, four measuring seven inches on 
their edges, four nine inches, and four twelve inches or as 
long as the width of the board will allow. Saw out four 

shelves which will reach 
exactly across the frame, 
two of them nine inches 
and two eleven inches 
wide. Screw the smaller 
braces to the narrow 
shelves, the larger ones 
to the widest, making 
sure the back edges of 
shelf and brace are on an 
exact line ; fitting them 
in your try-square will 
assure you of that. To 
give additional strength 
to the frame, measure 
the distance from the 
bottom edge of the lower 
cross-piece, where it joins 
the upright, diagonally 
across to the other up- 
right within one inch of 
the ifloor (Fig. 23), then 
take two narrow boards, 
say three inches wide 
and one inch thick, and 
saw them the required 
length. Lay your frame down flat, place first one diagonal 
in position, then the other, and make a pencil line across 
the upper and lower corners showing where they must be 
taken off in order to fit inside the frame. A mitre-box is 




Piazza Flower-Stand. 






With Hammer and Saw 



19 




Fig. 22. 



very useful here, for by its aid you can saw your boards 

at the required angle without difficulty. Lacking that, be 

careful to have your edges straight. Place 

the diagonals in position in the frame and 

mark the width of each on the surface of 

the other where they cross. Between these 

two lines, on the edges of the boards, draw 

a line which will divide the edge exactly in 

half. Saw along the oblique lines down to 

the line on the edge, then with a chisel pare 

down to the edge lines, thus " halving" your boards, Fig. 24. 

Cross your diagonals at the halving 
and with long wire nails, driven from 
the outside of the frame, nail them in 
place, Fig. 25. Now fit the largest 
braces on the front and back of each 
upright with edges resting on the floor 
as in Fig. 26, and screw them on with 
screws near the top as shown by C and 
D, Fig. 26. Have the outside edges of 
the braces on a line with the outside 
edges of the uprights ; this will leave a 
space of about an inch on the inside of 
The braces will hold the frame in an up- 



Fig. 23. 



the uprights. 

right position, but in order to sup- 
port any weight it must be further 
strengthened by adding a platform 
to which the braces may be screwed. 
Make the platform of a size to fit in- 
side the uprights and reach across 
from end to end of the braces. Two 
or more boards will be required to give sufficient width, 
and it will be necessary to stay them by putting on three 




Fig. 24- 






20 



What a Girl Can Make 







Fig. 25. 



cleats across the under side, as in Fig. 27. These cleats 
must be of equal width and thickness and, as in all cleats, 
the grain of the wood must run length- 
wise. Cut notches at each end, as shown 
in the diagram, to fit the projecting up- 
rights, then fit the platform into the 
frame, and screw the braces on to its 
edges, Fig. 28. You have now a firm 
foundation and may add your shelves. 
The widest shelves are to go across the 
frame on either side on a line with the 
top of the lower cross- 
piece, the narrower 
shelves on a line with the top of the 
middle cross-piece. Fasten these in 
place with screws at the lower end of 
each brace, and with hooks in the up- 
rights, and screw-eyes at the top of the 
shelves, as in the shelves for the dress- 
ing-stand, Fig. 14. 

Instead of four you now have two 
very broad shelves, running directly 

through the frame. Take meas- 
urements of these shelves and 
make a shallow box, about seven 
inches deep, to fit each shelf. 
To prevent the boxes springing 
at the seams from dampness, get 
a strip of tin three inches wide, 
bend it through the middle 
lengthwise, and tack it over the 
seams, as in Fig. 29. Paint the entire frame and the out- 
side and edges of the boxes dark green, and then varnish 




Fig. 26. 



1 E 



Fig. 27. 



With Hammer and Saw 



21 



them. Of course the paint must be quite dry before the 

varnish is applied. 

Put a layer of charcoal in each box, then a layer of sand, 

and over all a thicker layer of good soil. Fill your boxes 

with flowering plants and 
hanging vines, and use the 
lower platform for potted 
plants. From the top cross- 





Fig. 28. 



Fig. 29. 



piece a small hanging basket may be hung, adding its 
beauty and sweetness to the rest. 

The illustration will give an idea of the appearance of 
the flower-stand, though much of the beautiful, luxuriant 
growth of plant and vine had to be omitted in the drawing 
so that the construction of the stand might be distinctly 
shown. 



A Hooded Chair Made of a Packing-box 

You must select with care the box for this rather unique 
piece of furniture, for you will want it to be durable. If you 
prefer you may make it altogether of new material after 
the same pattern, but a box for the foundation will simplify 
the work. When standing on end your box should meas- 
ure about five feet six inches in height, eighteen inches in 
depth, and twenty inches in width. Nail two cleats, each 
thirteen inches long, in an upright position on each side 



22 



What a Girl Can Make 



and at the back of the box, as shown by the letters E, F, 
G, H in Fig. 30, placing the front ones, E, one inch back 

from the edge as in dia- 
gram. Fig. 30 gives one 
side and the back of the 
box. Across and resting 
on the top of these up- 
right cleats nail the cleats 
I and J. Lay the box on 
its side and draw a curve 
like Fig. 31, starting the 
line four inches from the 
top and ending it two 
feet from the bottom. 
The curve at its greatest 
fulness should take in 
half the width of the 
^ !)\ W^^Zl if *\. side. Draw a curve ex- 







Hooded Chair Made of Packing-Box 



actly like the first on the other side of the box; saw care- 
fully along the lines, following them as closely as possible, 
and then take off the remaining rough edges with a chisel. 



JVith Hammer and Saw 



23 




Nail a strip of wood four inches wide across the front at 

the top to finish the hood, Fig. 32. Box in the lower front 

up to the top of the cleats and 

there make a seat to fit in the 

chair and rest on the cleats, 

Fig. 32. You will notice that 

in the seat, near the forward 

corners, are two holes ; these 

are for the adjustment of the 

rest, which gives additional 

comfort to the chair, and upon 

which one may stretch one's self 

out luxuriantly. Two boards, 

three feet four inches long, 



Fig. 30. 

will be required for 
the rest, which should 
be just wide enough 
to fit easily inside the 
chair, resting on the 
seat. Cleat the rest at 
each end and in the 
middle, as in Fig. 33, 
putting the end cleats 
on the edges of the 
boards and the middle 
one underneath. 
Round the corners and 
smooth them off with 
knife or chisel. 

Measure the dis- 
tance from the top of 




Fig- 31- 



Fig. 3a. 



24 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



Fig. 33. 



the seat to the floor and make the end-piece (Fig-. 34) for 
the foot of the rest exactly that height, for the foot must 
be on a level with the other end when ad- 
justed. Screw the end-piece to the rest 
with screws passing through the top of the 
boards into the top edge of the end-piece, 
and put braces at the corners to keep it 
secure, Fig. 35. Bore holes three-quarters 
of an inch in diameter at the upper corners 
of the rest, making them one inch from the 
cleat and two inches from the side edges of 
the boards, Fig. 33. Place this end of the 
rest on the seat of the chair, 
allowing it to lap about four 
inches, and through the holes 
just made mark correspond- 
ing places for the holes in the seat. Make 
or buy wooden pegs like Fig. 36, and slip 
them through the holes in rest and seat 

when you wish to 
adjust the rest. The 
ordinary wooden 
easel peg is about 
what you want for 
this purpose. 

Pad the sides 
and back of the 
chair with cotton 
batting, using only 
enough tacks to 
hold it in place, then cover the chair inside and out, except 




Fig. 34- 




Fig. 36 



Fig. 35- 



the seat, with pretty cretonne, making a box-plaited ruffle 



With Hammer and Saw 



25 



for the front, as shown in the illustration. Pad the top of 
the rest up nearly to the holes in the end, and cover it with 
the cretonne. Use an old feather pillow for the seat cush- 
ion, and another (smaller) for an extra one at the back, and 
cover them also with cretonne. 



j 



CHAPTER II 
POSSIBILITIES OF AN EASTER EGG 

HROUGHOUT the entire United 
States Easter eggs are very popular, 
and the practice of coloring them is 
increasing rather than diminishing. 
The stores are full of all sorts of 
novelties in real or simulated eggs ; 
some valued at very large sums have 
been manufactured in London, but 
Uncle Sam does not raise such costly 
varieties. The real fun is in coloring 
one's own eggs, and if the eggs can 

be transformed into something else, the sport will be 

doubled. To turn an egg into 

A Frog That Will Swim 

in the water is a new idea, and one which will furnish no end 
of diversion. Cut stiff paper in the shape of Fig. 37. Make a 
small hole on one side of an egg (Fig. 38, B) and a tiny hole 
at one end (A), remove the contents by shaking the egg and 
blowing in at the end A. Then fit the shell on a stand made 
of a paper box with a hole cut in it just large enough to hold 
the egg firmly, and pour some melted wax in at the hole B, 
using great care to keep the egg steady, that the weight 
may fall exactly in the centre and make a perfect balance. 

Paste paper over each hole and fit the frog (Fig. 37) on 
the Ggg, keeping the side of the egg with the covered open- 

26 




Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



27 



ing B for the top, forming the back of the frog. Remove 
the paper frog and cover the slashes cut in the back with 
melted sealing-wax, while hot 
adjust it on the egg, pressing 
the slashes against the shell 
before the wax hardens and 
holding them in place until 
they adhere. When perfectly 
dry paint the frog mottled 
green on the back and a yel- 
lowish white underneath in 
oil colors (Fig. 39). Try to 
recall the coloring of a real 
frog and make this one as life- 
like as possible. Pour water in a large basin and stir it 
around to produce a current. The paint having dried, 

the top of the water 




Fig- 37- 



place the frog on 
and watch it swim, 
to race these queer 
two or three frogs 
swimming at the 
Should oil paints 
stiff brown paper, 
for Fig. 37. Make 




Fig. 38. 



If you would like 
Easter eggs, make 
and start them all 
same time, 
not be at hand, use 
preferably glazed, 
a hole at each end 



of the egg-shell and remove the contents. Drop some shot 
in the shell and glue paper over each opening; then fasten 

the paper frog, with the hole 
in its back (Fig. 37), securely 
on the egg. Wait until it is 
perfectly dry before placing 
the little animal on the water, 
where it will look very comi- 
cal and lifelike, even though 
Fig. 39. it is not green in color. 




28 



What a Girl Can Make 



At break of day on Easter morn the sun dances for joy, 
says the old legend, and if you would prove it, arise early 
and watch the reflection of the sun as it plays hide-and- 
seek on the surface of the clear water which you have 
placed in a tin basin where it can catch the first rays from 
the " King of Day." A breath of air will cause the water 
to move, and with the motion comes the dance, as the sun 
sparkles and glides here and there, glittering and laughing 
in its joyous play. The legend is a pretty one and its 
meaning deeper than appears on the surface. 

Beside enabling one to see the sun dance, being up early 
gives time, before breakfast, to help decorate the table as 
a pleasant surprise to the family. One of the most attrac- 
tive ornaments is the white dove 
with its snowy wings spread wide, 
while it floats and sways in mid- 
air as if it were really flying slowly 







Fig. 40 



Fig. 43. 



and softly through the room. It is easily made. Take a 
pure white egg, and empty the contents ; then cut from 
writing paper the wing (Fig. 40), head (Fig. 41), and tail 
(Fig. 42). Pin each in turn on a fresh, smooth piece of 
cotton wadding and cut the raw cotton out along the lines 
of the pattern. Make two wings of the cotton wadding, 



Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



29 



and cut two wing-bones (Fig. 43) from stiff paper; open 
each cotton wing along the upper edge about a quarter of 
an inch in depth, according to dotted line O O (Fig. 40), 
insert a paper bone in each opening and gum it sparingly 
here and there. Smooth up the edges of the cotton wings, 
covering the bones entirely ; then gum the wings to the 




Fig. 44- 



sides of the egg according to the dotted line on one end. 
Fasten the tail in place and, last of all, the head ; open the 
neck a little and paste each side of the open edge on the 
egg. Bend the wings out, as if the bird were flying. 

To float the dove in the air, make a knot in a piece of 
fine thread and with a needle run the thread through a 
small square of white court-plaster; pull the knot up tight 
to the plaster, unthread the needle, and with the court- 



30 



What a Girl Can Make 



plaster over the knot, dampen it and gum the thread down 
tight on the back of the dove, something as a leather sucker 
is stuck on a brick ; it will soon dry. In the morning sus- 
pend the dove over the centre of the table (Fig. 44) by 
tying the end of the thread on the chandelier. Let it be 
about ten inches above the dishes. If you can handle pen 
and ink very lightly, the bird's eyes and mouth may be 
carefully marked, although this is not absolutely necessary, 
as the effect is almost the same without the features being 
emphasized. 

One of the minor sports 
now gladly participated in 
by the girls, is top-spinning, 
and the amount of fun they 





Fig- 45- 



Fig. 46. 



derive from the whirling playthings is only equalled by 
their skill in the game. All kinds of tops are welcomed and 
experimented with but the queerest is the 

Spinning Egg 

Easter top (Fig. 45) made of a hard-boiled egg col- 
ored red, with a disk of stiff red paper (Fig. 46) fitted and 
glued on with sealing-wax. When twirled by the fingers 
the toy will whiz around almost equal to a peg top. Try it, 
and try also 



I 



Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



3i 



The Kaleidoscope, 

for an egg-shell containing a kaleidoscope is a still greater 
novelty. In preparing this it is better to blow the egg 
first, then, by puncturing holes, as in Fig. 47, each end of 
the shell can be removed evenly. Care must 
be taken to thoroughly rinse and dry the 
shell, as any moisture from the egg will dim 
and blur the glasses, which should be kept 
perfectly clear. Fasten with mucilage three 
strips of glass, two inches long and one-half 
inch wide, to a piece of black paper, as in 
Fig. 48. The dark paper left between the 
light strips will allow the two end-pieces of 

Fig. 48. 




Fig- 47- 



^s 








1 

9 





Fig. 50. 



glass to be brought to- 
gether, thus forming a tri- 
angle, which is held in place 
by pasting the paper extend- 
ing beyond the edge of the 
last strip of glass over on 
the edge of the first piece 
of glass. Fasten triangular 
pieces of glass, like Fig. 49, 
to the ends, in the follow- 
ing manner: 

Cut from paper, not too stiff, a circle 
one inch in diameter, out of the centre of 
which cut a triangle of even proportion, 
just a trifle smaller than the glass, see Fig. 
50. Paste the triangular glass, Fig. 49, 
over the triangular hole in the paper circle, Fig. 50, then fit 
this paper-framed glass to one end of the cylindrical triangle, 
and, folding the paper down smoothly, fasten with mucilage, 



V 

Fig. 49- 




Fig. 51- 



32 



What a Girl Can Make 



to hold it firmly in 
small pieces of diff er- 
into the kaleido- 
other end in the 
When this part of 
slide it carefully 
over each end paste 
colored paper with 
the centre, as shown 
yard of colored 
shade as the paper, 
forms a loop to hang 
enhances its appear- 
connection with the 
frequently found in 




Fig. 52. 



place. Put several 
ently colored glass 
scope and close the 
same way as the first, 
the work is finished, 
into the shell, and 
a piece of bright- 
a triangular hole in 
in Fig. 51. A half- 
ribbon of the same 
tied around the egg, 
it up by, and also 
ance (Fig. 52). In 
egg another emblem 
the shops is the 



Easter Hare 

Why this little animal is associated with Easter eggs no 
one seems to be able to tell. There are several legends 
which explain the connection, each one different from the 
others. This is the prettiest : 

" Scarcely had the Winter King left on his way to North- 
land when the young Prince, Spring, passed along, bringing 
with him delicate flowers and wild birds. The flowers 
charmed his senses with their exquisite perfume, and the 
birds entertained and delighted him with their sweet songs ; 
but Spring was lonely and sighed for the children of the 
earth, for whom he had brought these fair gifts. Thinking, 
perchance, they did not know of his coming, he concluded 
to send them tidings, when suddenly a little hare appeared, 
and immediately the Prince decided that the swift-footed 
animal should be his messenger. The little hare, however, 



, 



Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



33 



begged hard to be spared, as he stood in terror of the dread- 
ful shot-gun, which had killed so many of his brothers. But 
Spring, smiling said : ' You shall be the bearer of gifts to the 
people, then they will not harm you,' and the hare, calmed 
but hardly convinced, consented to do the will of the Prince. 

" Then Spring wove a dainty willow-basket and filled it 
with pretty colored eggs, which the birds gave him, and this 
he handed to the hare to give to the people, with many sweet 
messages from Spring. 

"Taking the basket in his mouth, the hare trotted off 
rapidly toward the nearest village. When he reached 
there, however, fearing the grown people, he delivered 
the messages to the children and gave them all the pretty 
eggs." 

A delightful little legend, isn't it? And Spring must 
have been well pleased with the hare for choosing to deliver 
his messages to the children, for on this day it is the young 
people who first know of the coming of Spring. 



Hares Made of Eggs 

The Easter hares shown in Fig. 53 are made of eggs. 
Goose eggs are the best to use — they are so much larger 
than hen's eggs. 

Blow the egg if you desire to keep the little hare; if 
you wish later to eat it, boil the egg hard. 

Take two little tufts of cotton, roll and pinch them in 
shape for the ears, then two more tufts for the forefeet ; 
fasten ears and feet to the shell with gum arabic, in the 
position shown in Fig. 53. Remember, the small end of the 
egg is the hare's head ; on this end, below the ears, draw 
with pen and ink the eyes, nose and mouth, using Fig. 53 as 
a guide. 



34 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 53- 

If you make two hares, place them together on a fresh, 
green leaf of lettuce, and they will look very natural. 

Did Palmer Cox have in mind an egg when he drew the 
picture of one of his famous Brownies ? This queer little 
character certainly suggested one so forcibly that it was 
impossible to resist trying the experiment of making his 
likeness from an egg, ^^ l ^^ 

and 

The Brownie 

shows the result, see 
illustration. 

Prepare the shell 
of a goose egg as for 
the Easter hare, and 
follow the directions 
given for blowing the 
egg. Fig. 54 is the Brownie's face. Trace this on tracing- 
paper, turn the other side and rub a soft lead-pencil all over 
the back until that side of the paper is covered with lead, 
taking care not to tear it in doing so. Place the face on the 
shell, the printed side out, and holding it steady, go over 



i> o o ^ 




Fig. 54- 



Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



35 




the lines with a pencil. This will reproduce the face on 
the shell, then with pen and black ink strengthen the draw- 
ing. The small end of the shell is the head and the 
face must be drawn well up on it. 
Make the Brownie's costume, cap 
and all, of brown material. An old 
brown stocking will be just the thing 
to use. Fig. 55 is the pattern of the 
cap ; the dotted lines on the edges 
show where the seam is to be taken, 
and the dotted line running from side 
to side shows where the cap is to be 
turned up. Fig. 56 is the back and 
Fig. 57 half of the front of the jacket. 
Fig. 58 is the pattern of half of the 
trousers, which are made in two 
pieces cut exactly alike. 

Make two little rolls of unbleached 
cotton, two inches long, for the arms. Fig. 59 shows how 
the muslin is turned up on one edge and then rolled. Fig. 

60 gives the roll stitched and com- 
plete. When the jacket is made, 
slip the arms into sleeves and 
fasten at top of sleeve. Make 
the legs just as you did the 
arms, but use black cloth for them 
instead of white. Finish the trou- 
sers and sew in the legs at 
the dotted lines. 

When the costume is com- 
plete cut a disk of soft muslin 
f«b- 56. like Fig. 61, and slip through 

it, at the centre, a needle threaded with strong linen thread. 
A long darning needle will be the best. Pass the needle 



The Brownie. 




Fig. 55- 



'%in4h«t long 



IL 



J 



36 



What a Girl Can Make 



through the hole in the large end of the shell and up 
through the hole at the top. Draw the disk of muslin down 




Fig- 57- 



Fig. 59. 




■-^ > >l> 



Fig. 60. 




Fig. 61. 



Fig. 62. 



Fig. 58. 



to the large knot in the end of the thread, 
then bring it up close to the egg as in Fig. 
62 and paste the muslin on the shell. 

Dress the Brownie in his clothes; first 
his trousers, then his jacket ; fasten them 
here and there with glue ; run the needle 
which you have passed through the shell up through the 
little cap and out at its point on top. Slide the cap down 
on his head and glue in place. 

Let the thread be long enough to hold while you dance 
the Brownie on the floor. 

Eggs can also be turned into 






Fruits, Vegetables, Opera Glasses, and Dishes 

How would you like great, luscious purple plums, water- 
melons and fine radishes for breakfast? We can manage to 
have them, and at the same time may be served mammoth 
acorns — not the kind gathered for cups and saucers, but quite 
different. These are as large as eggs and either all brown 
or green in color. They taste something like hard-boiled 






Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



37 



eggs, and, what is more strange, the plums, watermelons 
and radishes all have a similar flavor. To prepare them, 
color some eggs, make the eggs all of solid hues, — a few rich 
purple, several red, others brown or light green, one or two 
dark green. When the eggs are boiled hard and of the 
desired shade change them into the vegetables and fruits. 
Begin by making 

The Radish 

Gum a number of crisp tissue-paper leaves cut from 
Fig. 63 on the big end of the red eggs. Fold each leal 




Fig. 63. 




Fig. 64. 




Fig. 65 



lengthwise through the centre, according 
to the dotted line (Fig. 63) ; then slip a 
hatpin or the back of the blade of a table- 
knife tight up in the fold and, holding the 
leaf in place with the right hand, gradu- 
ally push it up together on the blade with 
the left hand ; this gives the leaf a natural 
crimped appearance (Fig. 64). Take a 
small piece of raw cotton and dip it in the dye, or, better 
still, color it with a little crushed red crayon ; then pull the 



Fig. 66. 



38 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 67. 



cotton into the form of Fig. 65. Fasten this red point on the 
small end of the egg and the egg will be a radish (Fig. 66). 

Use a dark green egg to make 

the baby 

Watemelon 

Mark uneven, lengthwise bands 
around it with a soft lead-pencil 
and fasten in the stem with seal- 
ing-wax. Bore a hole in the large 

end of the melon, making the opening 

big enough to admit the end of a small 

curved twig which must form the stem ; 

put on enough sealing-wax to secure 

firmness (Fig. 67). Convert the purple 

egg into 

A Plum 

by fastening it on a natural twig in the 
same way you stuck the melon on its 
stem. Gum two green tissue-paper 

leaves to the branch 

for foliage (Fig. 68). 
The funny big 





Fig. 68. 



cotton. Let 



Acorn 

must likewise be at- 
tached to a stem, and on its small end 
you should fasten with sealing-wax a 
leaf bud from a lilac bush ; if that can- 
not be obtained, make the little point of 
a band of colored raw cotton or crumpled 



tissue-paper be glued on to form the edge of the acorn cup 



Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



39 



(Fig. 69). When the fruit is ready for the table, serve each 
piece on a separate small plate in which has first been laid 
a white doily or a home-made mat cut from white paper. 

Fresh flowers always give an added charm to the break- 
fast table, and in 

A Dainty Vase 

their value is doubled. Select three large-sized eggs, bore 

holes in the small ends of each, and carefully make the 

openings large enough to admit the 

points of a pair of small, sharp scissors. 

With these cut the holes to a diameter 

of nearly one inch, remove the contents 

of each and place the shells close to- 
gether, as in Fig. 70. Notice where the 

sides touch and drop hot sealing-wax 

there to fasten the three shells together. 
Flower vases are collected by people 

whose aim is to obtain as odd and as 

many vases as possible. Other collectors delight in teapots, 

and you will find on their shelves 
all sorts of queer and antique 
affairs. If you happen to have a 
friend with such a hobby, give 
her 




Fig. 70. 




A Unique Little Teapot 

to add to her collection — one from 
which the tea can actually be 
poured out of the saucy, wee 
F «e-7i. spout (Fig. 71). Remember, how- 

ever, the fragile little affair cannot be placed on the hot 
stove. Blow the contents from an egg and, if desired, color 



40 



What a Girl Can Make 



it. Have the sealing-wax of a broken color, if it is obtain- 
able, such as soft gray, delicate brown or quiet gray-green. 
The work will appear better than when more positive col- 
ors are used. With sharp scissors carefully cut a round 
hole in each end of the shell and another 
small one in the side, a short distance from 
the top, as an opening for the spout. Soak- 
ing - the shell in 

warm water for I | jj cwciAe— ; | 

nearly half an 
hour will ren- 
der it less brittle. Make the bottom of the teapot of a 




Fig. 72. 



Fig. 73- 



round piece of stiff paper ; cover the upper side of the 
paper all over with melted sealing-wax, and before 
the wax hardens set the shell down on it. For greater 
security drop melted sealing-wax entirely around the bot- 
tom where it joins the shell. Let the wax splash up on 
the egg; it gives a decorative effect. The spout (Fig. 
72) should be cut from stiff paper, also the handle (Fig. 
73) ; fasten both on the egg-shell with sealing-wax in their 
respective positions, following the dotted lines. When 
finished test the teapot to make sure it is water-proof; 
then fill it more than half full with water and have the fun of 

pouring the water in a tiny 
stream out of the spout. If 
the teapot leaks the least bit, 
fill the crack with sealing- 
wax. Be sure that the little 
gift is in perfect order be- 
fore it leaves your hands. 

Having completed the 
teapot, it will be easy work 
Fig. 74. to make 




Possibilities of an Easter Egg 



4i 



The Sugar Bowl 

Use two strips of paper for the handles ; fasten them on 
with sealing-wax, and set the round bottom of the half 
egg-shell in the soft sealing-wax which you have dropped 
on a circular bit of paper. The paper being flat will give 
the sugar bowl a level stand, enabling it to remain erect 
and firm (Fig. 74). 

In old-fashioned Southern country-houses there is usually 
a pail of clear, cold spring water conveniently near, with a 
gourd dipper from which to drink in place of a common 
glass. The gourds are interesting, odd-looking drinking 
vessels, but cannot compare in quaintness with the little 

Egg Dippers 

fashioned from egg-shells. A large half of an egg-shell 
forms the bowl and a slender stick the handle (Fig. 75). 
Bore a hole in one side of the dipper and slide 
the end of any kind of a slender stick 
through. Fasten this securely in 
place with hot sealing-wax both 

outside and inside at the ^Z&^ juncture 

of the bowl 
and handle, and 
in less time than it 
takes to tell it the dipper 
will be made. Place all the 
Easter gifts you have manufactured 
on a table where you may enjoy 
them, and in order that you shall get 
the full benefit of their beauty, look 
at them through a pair of opera- 
Fig. 75. glasses ; but first you must make the 




42 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



glasses. Cut Fig. 76 from card-board ; then bore holes in 
each end of two eggs, remove the contents and cut the 




Fig. 76. 



Fig- 77- 



Fig. 78. 



openings large enough to see through (Fig. 77). The egg 
after the holes are made is shown in Fig. 78. Attach the 










Fig. 79- 



large ends of the shells to Fig. 76 by means of melted sealing, 
wax; glue them on tightly, and the opera-glasses will be 
ready for use (Fig. 79). 







s 





:&< 



Paper Butterflies that Fly, and Egg Frogs that Swim. 




CHAPTER III 

A PAPER EASTER 

VEN play eggs manufactured of paper have 
many possibilities. Of course, all girls 
would rather make these for themselves 
than to buy them, be the trifles ever so 
beautiful ; for, after all, the purchased 
eggs can only be looked at and then put 
away. You cannot have any real sport 
with them ; cannot take them apart and 
put them together again any more than " all the king's 
horses and all the king's men" could restore "Humpty 
Dumpty " after his fall ; nor can you change these designs 
from one thing to another, each complete in itself. Only 
the home-made Easter egg admits of such manipulation. It 
is an Enchanted Egg and from it can be made 

An Ostrich, Rabbit, Penguin, and Rooster 

To make the egg, cut from medium-weight water-color 
paper two egg-shaped designs, Fig. 80 ; in one of these 
cut two slits exactly like Fig. 81 ; lay this over the second 
paper egg, being very careful to have the two perfectly 
fitted, and with a pin-prick mark the ends of the slits of the 
top egg into the under one ; stick the pin entirely through, 
first at one end and then at the other of each slit ; remove 
the top egg and draw a straight line from pin-point to pin- 
point of the upper and then of the lower slit ; these lines 

45 



4 6 



What a Girl Can Make 



are guides and render it easy to cut the slits to correspond 
with those in the first egg. The two eggs must be exactly 
alike, as they are in reality the two sides of one egg. Trace 
the markings of Fig. 82 on one egg and spread strong paste 




Fig. 80. 



Fig. 81. 



Fig. 82. 



sparingly over the darkened portion, not allowing it to 
extend in the least across the boundary lines, for the white 
spaces must be left free, that they may form openings or 
pockets. Again fit the two sides together (the paste will 
cause them to adhere), and place the egg under a few books, 
or some other weight, to dry, and in a little while it will be 
ready for transformation. 



Changing an Egg Into a Rooster 

Trace the rooster's head (Fig. 83), his tail (Fig. 84), his 
wings (Fig. 85), and his foot (Fig. 86), on the water-color 
paper. Make two feet and two wings; either 
paint the natural mark- 
ings or indicate them 
with ink on the different 
parts, then slide the 
head in the large end of 
the egg at D, Fig. 82, 
fitting it in between the 
two sides according to 
the line drawn above Fig. 84. 





A Paper Easter 



47 



the letter D on 
neck of rooster. 
In the same way 
place the tail in 
the egg at the 
small end, A, Fig. 82 ; fit 
the wings in, one on each 
side, at the slit E ; notice 
that each wing is cut on 
Fig. 86. both sides of the exten- 
sion E, to bring the top edges of 
the wings up higher, when they are 
in position, than their central top 
portions. Slide the feet in the slit 
F, one on each side, slightly bending them out from each 
other; the rooster (Fig. 87) will then stand alone when it is 





Fig. 87. 



placed on a level surface. 



remove 




A Rabbit from the Egg 

the rooster has served its day 
the different parts and leave 
the egg as it was at first. 
We are now ready to con- 
struct a rabbit. Make the 
head (Fig. 88), the tail (Fig. 
89), one fore foot (Fig. 90), 
and two hind 
legs (Fig. 91), 



<$c3 




Fig. 91. 



Fig. 93. 

of the same water-color paper. Care- 
fully slip the head in the small end Fig - 8g - Fig - 9 °- 
of the egg, Fig. 82, A, and place the tail down low in the large 
end of D ; the piece which represents the fore feet — it should 
be painted to look like two, one slightly back of the other — is 



4 8 



What a Girl Can Make 



placed at the opening B, and the hind legs are fastened on 
each side of the egg in the upper slits E. Bend the hind 
legs out a trifle and stand the little rabbit on its feet (Fig. 
92). If you wish you can copy the markings on this one 
and make your rabbit look as natural as possible, All the 
animals that you make should be white, except the penguin, 
as the white egg forms the body of each one. 

The Egg Develops Into an Ostrich 

In order to hatch the ostrich change the rabbit back 
again to an egg. Cut from light-weight card-board the head 

(Fig. 93), and the 

two legs (Figs. 94 

and 95) ; these must 

be stiff and strong : 

you will notice that 

the legs are not bent 

alike. Use water- 
color paper for the 

two wings (Fig. 96) 

and a tail (Fig. 97). 

The wings and tail 

should look as much 

like ostrich-plumes 

as you are able to 

make them. Slide 

the extension of the 

neck, Fig. 93, D, into 

the upper part of 

the large end of the Fig- 94- Fig. 95. 

egg, D, Fig. 82, and the extension of the tail into the small 
end, A, fitting it in according to the line on the tail drawn 





A Paper Easter 



49 



around A ; slip a wing into each side of the egg at the slits 
E, and finally fasten the legs, one on each side, in the slits F. 
Slightly bend the legs outward and adjust them so they 
will balance the body perfectly ; the ostrich is now able to 
stand alone and will even appear to be walking (Fig. 98). 

To Hatch a Penguin from the Egg 

Make the head like Fig. 99. A is the portion which 
must be placed in the small end of the egg, A, Fig. 82, al- 
lowing the lower curve of the head, K, to extend down 
over the egg. Cut from 
very stiff writing-paper a 
like curve, and paste it in 
position on the other side of 
the head, where it should 
hang free : only the top 
edge of the piece being 
fastened on the head in 
order that the curve may 
easily slip down over the Fi &- 103. 
other side of the egg. This will make both sides of the 
bird appear alike. Fold a piece of writing-paper, and from 
it cut Fig. 100 ; the straight fold extends from O to U. 
Carefully fasten together the open edges of the back from 
T to O and from U to. P; gluing them on the extreme 
edges, that the pocket thus formed may be as large as 
possible. Take stiff paper for Figs. 101 and 102, which 
are the feet and tail of the bird, the extension X of Fig. 102 
forming the tail. Leave the eyes and mouth white, and 
paint the remainder of the head black ; also blacken the 
wings and back, Fig. 100, and the feet and tail. Place the 
head in the small end of the egg, A, with the curves K 
down over the white egg on each side ; then put on the 




Fig. 100. 



Fig. 102. 




50 What a Girl Can Make 

little fellow's overcoat, or back, Fig. ioo, fitting it over the 
sides, F, Fig. 81, of the egg; push the egg or body of the 
penguin in the pocket formed in the back of the overcoat, 
and shove the feet into the large end of the egg, D, Fig. 82. 
Hold the lower edges of the egg firmly together while you 
bend out the feet sufficiently to enable the penguin to stand 
alone, Fig. 103. 

These little creatures should be made so carefully that 
either side will be presentable. It is always distressing to 
know that " the other side" does not look real, and it is a 
great satisfaction to be able to show both sides of our work 
to our friends and know there is no " wrong side " in what 
we do. If you can manage to paint the designs in water- 
colors they will look best, but even when marked with 
black ink the little animals are charming ; no adequate idea 
can be gained of this fascinating Easter egg until all the 
different parts have been made and the egg changed from 
one to another of the various life-like little creatures. 
The egg has been so planned that the wings come down 
and cover the tops of the legs of both rooster and ostrich ; 
the penguin and rabbit need no such cover, as the rabbit's 
Legs fit in naturally, and those of the penguin merely 
slide up in the egg. A little practice will enable you to 
perform the work skilfully. 

Butterflies are also emblems used for Easter. The beau- 
tiful fairy-like creature changing in its close, gloomy chrys- 
alis from an insignificant little worm to the radiant winged 
creature of the air, fitly typifies the Resurrection. Did you 
ever find a chrysalis and after examining it lay it carefully 
aside, to await the development of the life within, and some 
bright morning discover the shell broken and empty, while 
in the room fluttered a brightly colored butterfly ? If so, 
you will enjoy all the more 




A Paper Easter 51 

The Butterfly That Will Fly 

and which we will manufacture of tissue-paper. 

Take four pieces of tissue-paper — yellow, red, blue, and 
white — and cut each according to Fig. 104. The shape is 

not exactly that of a real butterfly, 
but when made of paper it proves 
more satisfactory, because such but- 
terflies fly far better when cut in 
this way. Fasten a fine black thread 
through the back of each butterfly 
(Fig. 105) ; bend the wings up a little 
and tie, or fasten with bits of court- 
plaster, the loose ends of the threads on a round stick, plac- 
ing them at a distance of about four inches apart. Let the 
threads vary in length from six to thirteen inches; this will 
bring the butterflies at different distances from the stick. 
When all is 
ready stand 
about forty- 
five inches from 
and in direct 
line with a reg- 
ister built in the 
side wall next 

\^ ^S Fig. 105. 

to the floor ; 
hold the stick, with the butterflies attached, up and out hori- 
zontally fifty or more inches from the floor. The gentle 
heat will cause the brilliant little things to flutter up and 
down, this way and that, in a most natural manner; the fine 
black threads being practically invisible, the butterflies 
appear as if floating in the air without aid from any 
source. 




52 



What a Girl Can Make 



You might try the experiment of taking them out-of- 
doors ; if the breeze is not too strong, the butterflies will 
behave in the most approved manner, which you know all 
about, having so often watched the graceful movements of 
the beautiful live insects during the long summer days. 

Perhaps the most charming of all Easter offerings is 



The Easter Lily 

Everyone strives to have a lily on Easter day. If you 
are unable to obtain one of the beautiful, fresh flowers, do 
the next best thing ; make a lily — a stately, 
graceful white blossom on a long, 
dark-green stalk. The flower is 
lovely even when manufactured 
of tissue-paper, and can be made 
to look so natural that one almost 
expects to find the sweet, delicate 
perfume of the real blossom. The 
paper plant has one advantage at 
least over the natural one : it lasts much 
longer and needs no care to keep it fresh. 
From a new, smooth sheet of white tis- 
sue-paper cut six petals (Fig. 106); fold 
each lengthwise through its centre and 
bend or curl the top into a slight curve 
to take away the stiffness (Fig. 107) ; then 
cut Fig. 108 of unruled white writing- 
paper. Paint both sides of the stigma 
or top a greenish yellow and the style or 
stem-like portion a pale Nile-green. Bend 
the style up flat against the scalloped stigma according to 
the dotted line in Fig. 108. Allow an eighth of an inch and 




Fig. 106. 



Fig. 107. 



A Paper Easter 



53 



bend the style back again, which will make a little tuck in 
the style, bringing it exactly in the centre of the scalloped 

stigma when it is straightened out (Fig. 109). , 
Q*3 Fold each of the three scallops of the stigma ^ 
*" through its centre and bend them down (Fig. 
109) ; this finishes the pistil. 

Make six stamens according to the pattern 



Fig. 108, 



(Fig. 1 10) ; paint 
orange color on 
supports or stems 
— as you remem- 
natural flower, 
in the same way as you 
and slightly curve the 
These should seemingly 
tip-top of the supports 
paste fasten the 
mens on the end 
has previously 
with dark olive- 
per (Fig. 112); 
three of the white 
Use paste spar- 
arrange the petals evenly 
maining three (Fig. 1 14), 
one over each space be- 
als. Fig. 115 will make 
petals numbered 1, 2, 3 
the other three alternate 




Fig. 109. 



Fig. no. 



u 



Fig. 112. 



the anthers or tops 
both sides, and the 
a very light green 
ber those in the 
Bend the supports 
did the style of the pistil, 
orange - colored anthers, 
balance directly on the 
(Fig. in). With strong 
pistils and sta- 
of a stick which 
been covered 
green tissue-pa- 
then paste on 
petals (Fig. 113). 
ingly, and be careful 
before adding the re- 
which should be placed 
tween the first three pet- 
the idea plainer. The 
represent the first three ; 
with these, coming back 



^T^ 



Fig. in. 



to 



of and between them as in the corolla (Fig. 115). Should the 
last petals incline to droop, attach them to the inner ones 
about midway up with a very little paste. 

Take a strip of olive-green paper and cut it according to 



54 



What a Girl Can Make 








Fig. 113. 



Fig. 114. 



the dotted lines in Fig. 116; slightly curve each leaf in the 
hollow of your hand by rolling the round head of a hat-pin 
down its centre ; when finished wind the strips of foliage 



A Paper Easter 



55 




Fig, us. 



around the lily'stalk (Fig. 114). Have the stalk quite long, 
a short one does not look well. If you desire buds as well 
as blossoms, cut squares of 
white tissue-paper (Fig. 
117) ; roll each paper (Fig. 
118), fold down the top 
ends a trifle and pinch up 
both ends; then pull the 
bud into proper shape (Fig. 
119). Paste the pinched 
tops together and fasten 
the lower end of the bud on a green-covered 
wire (Fig. 120). 

You can make smaller buds for the top and 
have the larger, which represent buds ready 
to open and blossom, bent as in Fig. 120. To 
make a stalk bearing buds and several blos- 
soms, instead of building the flowers on the 
end of a stick, fasten each blossom and each 
bud on a separate wire which has first been 

covered with 
green tissue- 
paper; then 
bind the small 
buds on the 
top of the long green stalk 
with thread or fine wire. 
Next 
buds, 
soms, 



Fig. 116. 



Fig. 117. 



fasten on the larger 
afterwards the blos- 
and when all are ar- 
ranged satisfactorily wind 
the green foliage around the 
stalk (Fig. 114), and it will 



56 



What a Girl Can Make 



all look very beautiful and natural. The lilies may be 
placed in a tall glass vase or the end of the stalk pushed 




Fig. 119. 



Fig. no. 



into the earth in a real flower-pot, and at a short distance 
it will have the appearance of a growing plant. 



CHAPTER IV 



VACATION WORK WITH 
MATERIAL 



NATURE'S 




ERE is a piece of advice for you, girls; possibly 
it may not be appreciated, but it is good ad- 
vice, nevertheless : While you are away for 
your summer holidays, keep out of sight the 
fancy work you do at home. 

When we drop the work or study that 
has employed us during the long winter and 
spring months and go off in the summer to 
be refreshed and invigorated, do we not say 
we go for recreation ? If you will stop to 
think about it you will see that recreation means literally 
re-creating, being created anew ; it means the laying 
aside of our ordinary habits and thoughts and adopting 
entire new ones, for the time being at least. It is this 
refreshing change of thought and occupation as well as 
change of air that proves so beneficial ; therefore, don't 
keep the one little portion of your brain which you devote 
to fancy work busy all summer long in the old routine, but 
let it have recreation as well as the rest of your mind and 
body. 

By this I do not mean that the faculty ordinarily exer- 
cised in the interest of fancy work should not be used in 
any way, or that the hands which take so kindly to 
needle and thread should be always idle. Not at all; but 

57 



58 



What a Girl Can Make 



there are other forms of work for quiet hours, distinctive- 
ly summer work, which with their entire or comparative 
novelty refresh the mind and give added deftness to the 
hands. 

The rainy day comes occasionally and you cannot be 
out of doors ; then is the time to look over the store of 
treasures which you have gathered in your walks through 
wood and field and try to devise some 
means of preserving them or making them 
of use. To begin with, there are your pine 
cones, and no doubt you have gathered a 
great number of them ; everyone does. 
Sort the cones and select several of the 
largest, most open ones to use as hanging- 
baskets in your window next winter, and 
if you have an open fire devote the re- 
maining cones to creating a cheery blaze, 
to help disperse the gloom that a northeast 
storm in summer is apt to throw over one. 
If you are impatient to try the experi- 
ment of making a 

Cone Hanging-basket, 

you need not wait until winter, for, being 
in the country, your materials are all close 
at hand, and there is no reason why you 
should not start one immediately. Having 
selected your cone, shake out the seeds, if any remain in 
it, and tie a cord around at about the middle, leaving a 
loop on the top by which to hang it, as in the illustration. 
Fill the interstices with lightly sifted earth, scatter a hand- 
ful of wheat or oats over it, and thoroughly dampen the 




Cone Hanging-basket. 



Vacation Work with Nature's Material 



59 



whole. Hang the cone in your window, keep it damp, and 
shortly the grain will sprout and the cone will become a 
mass of vivid green. 

Of course the beauty of the cone hanging-basket does 
not last a great while, but a new one can be so quickly and 
easily prepared that, with a store of half a dozen cones, you 
may have one fresh and green in your window all winter. 
Almost any kind of small cereal will sprout if treated in 
this way, and each time you can plant differ- 
ent seeds. 

If you happen to have sweet grass in 
your collection, make it into 

Sweet-grass Mats 

to put in the linen closet or bureau-drawers. 
These mats, placed between sheets or cloth- 
ing, impart such a sweet, country perfume 
you will be surprised and delighted with the 
result. Take seven or eight stalks of the 
sweet grass, cut off the flower-heads, bunch 
the stalks together, and with a long, 
strong blade of the grass, wrap tightly 
into a rope, as in Fig. 121. Make 
several of these ropes before begin- 
ning your mat. Then coil one in an 
oblong, and sew it together, as shown 
in the diagram, Fig. 122. 
When the first rope is near- 
ly used up, wrap the free end 
securely to the end of another 
rope and continue to coil as 
before. When finished, the longest diameter of the mat 
should measure about seven inches. You will notice in 




Fig. MI. 



Fig. 122. 




6o 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



Fig. 123, which shows the 
sweet-grass mat completed, 
that the last end is tucked in 
neatly under the coil next to 
it, where it is fastened tightly 
with needle and thread. 

With all the other treasures, 
I hardly think it has occurred 
to you to collect corn-husks, 
and yet many pretty things can be made of them. For 




Fig. 123. 



instance, there is the 



Corn-husk Basket, 

strong, durable, and useful. For making one of these 
baskets select the fine, inner husks, and wrap them in a 
damp cloth, let them remain two hours, and then 
cut into strips about one inch wide. Take six of 
these strips and tie them together at one end with 
a strong thread ; separate the strips 
into three strands, two strips to a 
strand, and braid as in Fig. 124. 
In the beginning do not choose 
strips all of the same length, 
as they will have to be pieced 
out to make the braid the re- 
quired length, and the piec- 
ing should not be all done at 
the same place. When you 
Fig- "4- nave nearly reached the end Flg - 
of your shortest strip, open it out flat, lay the end of a new 
strip over it as in Fig. 125, and fold together as in Fig. 126. 
In this way the piecing goes on as the braid grows in 





Vacation Work with Natures Material 61 

length. When you have about a yard of the braid, dampen 
and begin to coil it as in Fig. 127, fastening the edges to- 
gether with needle and strong, waxed thread. It will re- 
quire the whole yard of braid for the bottom of the basket, 
which should measure about five inches in diameter. Be- 
fore you have coiled quite all of it, piece the strips again 
and make a yard or so more of braid. Dampen the new 
part and begin to coil once more, this time turning the 
braid up on its edge, and running it around horizontally to 
form the sides of the basket, widening the sides a little with 
each row. Four inches is a good depth for a basket of this 
kind. Finish the top of the basket by sewing another row 
of braid around the outer edge. For the handle make a 
braid twelve inches long, then divide the strands and at 




Fig. 126 



the end of the large braid make two small ones six inches 
long. Fasten the ends of the small braids and cut off neatly 
close to the wrapping. Remove the thread which holds 
the other end of the large braid together and separate the 
strips far enough up to make two small braids at that end 
the length of those you have just finished. Sew the handle 
on the outside of the basket in the position shown in the 
illustration, tucking the ends between the bottom and next 



62 



What a Girl Can Make 




Corn-husk Basket. 

to the bottom row of braids, and fastening them neatly on 
the inside. 

Like the sweet-grass mats the 

Lavender Sticks 

are for perfuming clothing and household linen. They are 
pretty little trifles, and make most acceptable birthday and 
Christmas gifts. 

Gather your lavender stalks (each one having a blos- 
somed top) while they are fresh and green, and use them as 
soon as possible after cutting, as they grow brittle when dry. 
It will take about twenty-five stalks for a large lavender 






Vacation Work with Nature's Material 63 

stick, less for a small one, but in both cases there must 
be an uneven number. You will need, also, some narrow 
lavender ribbon. It is best 
to buy the ribbon by the piece, 
or roll, as it is not easy to 
calculate the exact amount re- 
quired for the sticks. Bunch 
your lavender stalks together, 
with the heads at the top, and 
tie securely just below the 
blossoms (Fig. 128) with linen 
thread. Bend the stems over 
carefully, bringing them 
down over the blossoms 
(Fig. 129). A little raw 
cotton may be used to 
fill out the bulb or, if 
you have them, ex- 




tra lavender blossoms. Pin one 
end of your ribbon at the top 
of the bulb, where the stalks 
are tied together, pushing the 
pin through the ribbon down in- 
to the bulb, then begin to weave 
it under and over the stalks as in Fig. 129. Weave about 
two inches, widening all the time, then draw the ribbon a 
little tighter, bring the stalks closer together, and narrow 
the bulb gradually. When the stalks are bunched again, 



6 4 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



stop weaving and begin to wrap, 
lapping the edges of the ribbon 
as in the illustration. Have the 
wrapping tight and firm and, 
when about an inch or two from 
the ends of the stalks, fasten 
with needle and thread, then 
tie the ribbon in a bow of 
many loops. Finish the top 
with a bow also, making it 
quite full. 

Braiding Palm-grasses and 
Corn-husks 

Away down in Florida, where 
the palms and palmettos are 
as common as are the most ordi- 
nary trees and shrubs in the 
North, most of the children 
wear hats made of the strong 
and durable leaves of these 
beautiful trees ; and all the 
children know how to braid 
the palm in a number of ways. 
Indeed, it was a little girl not more than eight 
years old who taught me just what I am going to try to 
teach you. She was " keeping house " with a number of 
other children on one of the fine, shady streets of Daytona, 
Fla., and, stopping to watch them at their play, we were 
made welcome in their " house, " and one little hostess gave 
me the lesson I asked for then and there. 

You all know how a palm-leaf grows, tall and straight, 
and closed tightly like a fan until it is time for it to open, 




Fig. 128. 




Fig. iag. 



Vacation Work with Natures Material 65 



when it slowly separates and spreads its fingers 
wide. It was the unopened leaf of the cabbage- 
palm which was chosen for the braid, and very 
pretty the tender leaf is ; white, soft, and pli- 
able, and edged with light green. It is beauti- 
fully adapted to braiding, and the fingers of my 
little teacher flew deftly, as the braid length- 
ened in her hands, and my mind sped along 
almost as swiftly, as I tried to adapt the proc- 
ess to materials to be found in the North, so 

that Northern, as well as Southern, girls might share with 

me this little piece of handicraft. 

I am sure wide, flat grasses can be braided in this way, 

and corn-husks and — well, a number of other things which 




Fig. 130. 





Fig. 131. 



Fig. 132. Fig. 133. 

you will find if you keep your 
eyes open; but I must return to 
the palm and tell you just how 
I was taught to braid that. 
First I tore the leaf into strips about one-quarter of 
an inch wide, then taking two strips, I folded one 
end of each as in Fig. 130, and lapped the folded ends 
as in Fig. 131. Bending the right-hand strip (A), 
I pushed it through the loop formed by the other (B) 
as in Fig. 132, and pulled B down tightly (Fig. 133). 
Bending B, I pushed that through the loop A had formed, 



66 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 





and drawing A tightly, left a loop of B at the top (Fig- 
134). Each time a loop was formed I pushed another loop 
through it and drew the first down snugly, 
and so braided a strip like Fig. 135. 

My little teacher forgot to show me 
how to piece the strips, 
and I was obliged to 
work out the problem 
for myself and for you. 
When one of the strips 
had dwindled down and 

grown too narrow, I cut S/yft x\ ^ °^' ^ eav " 

ing a little 
over an inch 
below the 
Fig. 135. loop. I then 

inserted another strip over B, 
pushing it under A, as in Fig. 
136, bringing it over the B loop 
and again under A on the other 
side, pulling it down until the two short ends were even. 
After that I continued to braid as before, the first two B 
loops being double, of course. 

It is not well to have the piecing of both strips come 
together, therefore one should be longer than the other at 
the start, and the strips should be always of the same width 
in order to make the braid uniform and even. 

This is regular hat braid you have learned to make, and 
perhaps having done so much you will feel inspired to con- 
tinue the work and make a hat, if not a large one, at least 
one for your own or your younger sister's doll. Or you 
can make it into a basket by sewing the braid together, lap- 
ping one edge over the other. 



Fig. 136. 



Vacation Work with Nature's Material 67 

The braid should be back-stitched for both hats and 
baskets. 

Most materials require damping- before they are braided, 
for even when soft and pliable they are apt to separate 
when dry, unless they have first been soaked for a while in 
water. 



rr\ 




Fig. 144.— A Girl's Collection of Pictures. 



CHAPTER V 




COLLECTIONS 

VERY girl can have her own 
gallery of famous artists' pictures, 
and the searching for and finding 
of treasures to form a home art 
collection are a constant source 
of interest. When once the sup- 
ply is started it grows rapidly, for the fascination increases 
as the work progresses, and the nucleus of a fine assortment 
is soon gathered. Daily papers furnish valuable material 
in this line through their reproductions of paintings, and 
the market is flooded with beautifully illustrated magazines 
giving the art of our own land and that of foreign countries ; 
then there are unmounted photographs of masterpieces 
which may be purchased for a very small sum ; many can 
be bought at a penny each. 

If new magazines are not to be had, old ones can be 
found at bookstalls for low prices, which contain reproduc- 
tions of paintings and excellent accounts of them. Care- 
fully take the magazines apart, removing the wire fastenings 
by straightening and drawing them out before attempting 
to separate the leaves ; then cut out the chosen pictures, 
allowing as wide a white margin as possible. Only those 
prints which represent the work of eminent artists should 
be selected. 

69 



yo 



What a Girl Can Make 



Decide upon some definite line of art, for the field is 
a large and varied one. Better results can be obtained if 
you devote your efforts to the paintings of only one nation, 
such as American, English, French, or Flemish art. Again, 
the collection might embrace the works of but one artist or 
school of painting, or be restricted to famous caricaturists 
or mural decorators. Having made your choice and col- 
lected two or three designs, buy low-priced medium-weight 
card-board for 

Mounting the Pictures 

Select a kind not brittle or liable to tear ; get either a soft 
gray tone or white, the former often harmonizing best with 
black and white pictures. Your material being ready, turn 
the pictures on the wrong side and mark the 
centres. The easiest way of doing this is by 
laying a ruler diagonally across the back of 
picture, Fig. 137, and drawing a line on the 
paper along the edge of the ruler. Be sure to 
have the ruler precisely at the corners ; if 
placed either to one side or the other, the centre 
will not be found. Fig. 138 shows the first line 
drawn ; cross this line by another running from 
the remaining two corners which will give Fig. 
139; the point where the lines intersect is the 
exact centre of the picture. Cut the 
mounting board in portions large enough to 
allow a surrounding margin of four or five inches 
on each picture; then mark the centres on the 
right, not wrong, side of the mounting board. 
It will be unnecessary to extend the line from 
corner to corner of the mounting board ; lay the ruler across 
and mark it merely at the centre, Fig. 140. Take the print 




Fig. 137. 





Fig. 138. 



Fig. 139- 



Collections 



7i 




Fig. 140. 



you intend to mount first and carefully place it upon the 
blank piece of paper so that the centre of the picture will 
be exactly over the centre of the blank 
paper; lightly mark a line in lead-pencil 
around two corners of the picture, re- 
move the print and the blank paper re- 
sembles Fig. 141. The last markings 
are a guide in pasting the picture on 
the sheet of paper. First dampen the 
wrong side of the print with a wet 
sponge. Have ready some strong paste 
and spread it lightly on the wrong side. 

Be careful not to get too much paste 
lest it smear the mounting-paper. Lay 
the mounting-sheet upon a perfectly 
clean, level surface and place the print 
on it according to the guiding marks. 
Have the picture absolutely smooth, 
without a suspicion of a wrinkle or 
blister, and with a clean cloth again 
smooth it gently, pressing it down here 
and there as seems necessary to make it 
adhere firmly (Fig. 142). Then place 
a weight upon the mounted picture 
and leave it to dry. After having 
been successful with one picture no 
difficulty will be found in mounting 
the others. 

It often happens that it is impossi- 
ble to separate a picture from the 
article treating of it, for the reason 
that one side of the page gives the print and the other 
side the description. This difficulty is remedied by 




Fig. 141. 




Fig. 142. 



72 What a Girl Can Make 

Splitting the Paper, 

which will give two layers of uniform thickness, and if 
there are pictures on each side of the paper they may both 
be preserved. Cut two pieces of perfectly smooth muslin 
a little larger all around than the sheet of paper to be split. 
Dampen one of the pieces of muslin and lay it out smooth 
on an even, flat surface ; cover one side of the paper to be 
split with a thin layer of very strong paste or glue and 
carefully place the paper, paste-side down, on the muslin ; 
lay it out flat and be sure it does not wrinkle ; then cover 
the other side of the paper with paste and place the 
second dampened piece of muslin over it. Be certain that 
the muslin adheres over the entire surface of both sides 
of the paper. Should it fail in places, the spots of paper 
not clinging to the muslin will tear out during the splitting. 
See that the paste extends to the outermost edges of 
the paper, and do not forget that muslin, paper, and paste 
must all be smooth. Use a rolling-pin to secure uniform 
adhesion. When the pasting is done, let it dry, and after 
it has dried perfectly, separate the two pieces of muslin at 
one corner, and the paper will begin to split if the work 
has been properly done. Continue opening the edges until 
all four sides are partially separated, and the fission of the 
paper just beginning; then a firm pull will entirely sepa- 
rate the two pieces of muslin and, at the same time, split 
the paper. If you experiment on a small piece of paper 
before attempting the picture you will better understand 
the process. To remove the muslin from the paper, soak it 
in hot water ; place the water in a basin large enough to 
admit of the muslin lying out flat. Let the paper side be 
underneath, so that the muslin may be easily removed 
when it detaches itself from the paper. Should any bits of 



Collections 



73 



paste remain on the paper, soak them off ; move the paper 
gently in the water back and forward, until the paste is 
washed away; then lift the paper from the water by plac- 
ing a thin stick of wood under one edge and carefully 
drawing the wet picture out; it will hang like a curtain 
from the stick. Let the water drip off; then lay the 
paper down flat and smooth on a piece of blotting-paper, 
picture-side up. When nearly dry, place the picture 
between two sheets of pasteboard, and leave it under 
a weight until quite dry. Mount split pictures on white 
card-board ; gray will show through the thin paper. 
On the back of each mounting-board fasten two small 
brass rings by which 



To Hang the Picture 

Slide a ring on a short piece of tape and glue the ends 

of the tape at one side on the back and near the top of the 

picture to form a hook (Fig. 143, H). 

Do the same with a second ring and 

tape. When both tapes are securely 

fastened on the mounting-board, paste 

over each a strip of tough paper or 

muslin (Fig. 143, P). If a wire £>e 

fastened on the rings, the pictures 

may hang from the picture-moulding 

around the room, or the collection 

can depend upon nails for support. 

If desirable, the rings may fit over 

tacks driven in the wall. 

Fig. 144 at the beginning of the chapter gives a girl's 
collection of reproductions from famous paintings. The 
pictures can be kept in 




Fig. 143- 



74 JVhat a Girl Can Make 

A Portfolio 

made expressly for the purpose, should there be no wall- 
space on which to hang them. Make the portfolio of two 
strong, stiff pieces of pasteboard, cut large enough to extend 
one inch beyond each of the four sides of the mounted de- 
signs so as to preclude all possibility of damage to the edges 
of the work. Sew a length of brown tape at each corner of 
the two sides of the portfolio, making in all eight pieces of 
tape, four on each pasteboard ; then lay each cover down 
on a piece of denim and mark four spots on the cloth, cor- 
responding to the places where the tapes are fastened on 
the pasteboard. 

Remove the denim and punch holes through the cloth at 
the four places designated on each piece ; button-hole 
stitch the openings, and run the tapes through, drawing 
the cloth down tight and flat upon the pasteboard ; smooth 
the brown covering out evenly and turn the four sides 
neatly over the edges where they can be securely fastened 
by long stitches of strong thread taken from edge to edge 
of the cloth. Cover the wrong side of each piece with 
heavy, rough, brown paper ; paste it on carefully and put 
them under weights to dry ; the paper forms the inside and 
the cloth the outside of the portfolio. In such covers any 
number of mounted pictures can be kept secure from harm. 

It is only necessary to pile them up evenly on one cover, 
lay the other cover on top, and tie the two together over the 
pictures by means of the tapes at the four corners. The 
portfolio is not intended to stand on edge ; it must be laid flat. 

Another and different collection is very precious, though 
the best part is not visible. It is a collection that is sure to be 
always a comfort, and one with which the more familiar you 
grow the better you will feel. Such a collection is called the 



Collections 



75 




Sunshine Diary 

The book may be one of the usual styles of diaries sold 
in the stores, or an ordinary blank-book ; better still, a 
home-made book. The latter requires forty-six sheets of 
writing-paper (Fig. 145), and for a 
cover stiff brown paper or card- 
board — the kind used for making 
passe-partouts and which comes in 
all colors — will be excellent. Cut 
the cover a trifle longer and broader 
than the writing-paper, so that it 
may extend beyond the leaves of the 
book on the sides, protecting the 
edges (Fig. 146). Fasten all together 
by means of a strong brown or yel- 
low cord laced through holes made 
in the cover and book (Fig. 147). 
Should you be unable to cut the holes as neatly as you de- 
sire, send the book to 
a shoe store or a har- 
ness-maker's to have 
the holes made. 

Decorate the cover 
in gilt. Make a circle 
for the sun and use a 
ruler in marking the 
rays. Draw the top 
and bottom rays first. 
Begin at the top of 
the centre ray and run 
the lead-pencil down along the edge of the ruler as far 
as you wish the ray to extend ; then raise the pencil, but 



Fig. 145. 




Fig. 146. 



76 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 147. 



not the ruler. Hold that down 
firmly with the left hand, while 
you again place the pencil 
down below the circle and 
draw the lower ray. Make 
the two horizontal rays in the 
same way (Fig. 148). After 
this it will be easy to draw 
the remaining rays by laying 
the ruler diagonally between 
the top and bottom and the 
side rays. Beneath the sun 
mark the title in plain letter- 
ing (Fig. 149). If you cannot 
make the letters even and 
straight, do the best you can, 

and they will look very well — better, in a way, than if an- 
other had made them for you, because that will be your own 

work. When the design is 

finished in pencil go over it 

with liquid gilt, painting the 

sun a solid gold disk, the rays 

mere lines of gold, and the let- 
tering slightly heavier. On the 

first page of the diary write in 

ink your age and full name and 

under this the year and day of 

the month. Then turn over the 

leaf and on the right-hand page 

rule a line exactly across the 

centre with red ink. At the 

top of the page write in red 

ink the day of the week and 




Collections 



11 



month and under the red line write the next day of the 
week and month (Fig. 150). Put down all dates and divi- 
sions in red ink. The book is 
now ready for the record of 
January 1. 

Before making any entry 
try to think of the kindest and 
pleasantest things said to you 
and done for you during New 
Year's Day, and with black ink 
write these, and these alone, 
for each day must reflect only 
beautiful thoughts and acts — 
nothing else is allowed in the 
" Sunshine Diary." On the 
second day of the month make 
a similar record on the lower 
half of the page ; the third day ,g " I49 ' 



- ' : I ! 1 \ \ 

Sunshine 
Diary 



turn over the leaf and carefully rule the next two pages as 
you did the first, which will make four equal divisions for 

four more days. Date each 
half of the page correctly 
and proceed with the jour- 
nal. Continue in the same 
way until the end of the 
year and you will have a 
treasure well worth keep- 
ing all the days of your life. 
The very act of carrying 
out the " sunshine " idea 
will tend to strengthen all kindly feelings and cause you 
to be on the watch for happy items to jot down in your 
book. 





JZu'c/uy/con../ //Of 


eLtec/y-AoM^ 170*1 
1 



Fig. 150. 



78 



What a Girl Can Make 



A Guest Book 

Another work is the " Guest Book " — one in which 
each friend who calls to see you can write his name, with 
the date and a few remarks. One boy might 
draw a simple little pencil sketch under his 
name ; another could write a joke in refer- 
ence to some mutual experience. From one 
of the girls might come an apt quotation ; 
from another an original rhyme — in fact, 
anything that would be interesting. Let the 
grown people also have the privilege of leav- 
ing their autographs with a few remarks in 
the " Guest Book," for they, too, are your friends. The 
book itself should be at least seven inches long and five 
broad ; larger would be better. The common blank-book 
of good paper will answer the purpose ; it can be covered 
with stiff linen, 




Fig. 151. 



which is sold for 
dress lining and 
may be found in 
the shops. Cut 
the cover to ex- 
tend beyond the 
book two or three 
inches (Fig. 151). 
The dotted line 
indicates the 
book. Adjust the 
cover evenly and 
crease it slightly along the edges of the book in order to 
know exactly how it will fit. Still holding the book in the 
left hand, carefully cut two flaps, in the extension at the top 



.Fig. 152- 



Collections 



79 



and bottom of the back. Remove and unfold (Fig. 152, A 
and B) ; turn down the flaps as in Fig. 152, and again place 







/ / 




\ \l 





Fig- IJ3- 

the linen on the book. Fold over the linen at the top ana 
bottom of one side of the book binding (Fig. 153) ; do the 






Fig. 154- 



same with the other side, then turn in the outer edge (Fig. 
154). Again remove the cover and, after creasing the folds. 



8o 



What a Girl Can Make 



Fig. 155- 




Fig. 156. 



Calendars 



cut the four corners 
out, as in Fig. 155, C, 
D, E, F. Keep the 
flaps (Fig. 152, A and 
B) folded in, and place 
the cover on the book 
(Fig. 156). Paste the 
corners G and H firm- 
ly to the underlying 
piece of linen, do the 
same with the other 
side and the cover will 
be finished. 

Letter the outside in 
deep, rich red, using 
paint and brush. If you 
cannot print the letters, 
write the title " Guest 
Book" in a bold hand 
with the brush. 



Calendars are always welcome 
and appropriate on New Year. 
Make yours of twelve pieces of 
heavy unruled, tinted writing-paper. 
Decide upon twelve persons whom 
you would like to think of often and 
cut twelve slips of white writing- 
paper of exactly the same size. 
Send one to each chosen individual 
and ask that the friend's name and 
some sentiment be written on the 






•4t 1/uw ea+c 



'7 7 



Fig. 157. 



Collections 



81 



paper and that it be returned to you. Having received all 
the slips, paste one near the top of each sheet of writing- 
paper (Fig. 157); below 
paste one leaf of a printed 
calendar representing one 
month (Fig. 158). Use a 
Christmas card for an out- 
side cover and through the 
two top corners of the cal- 
endar make round holes 
large enough to allow a 
silken cord, matching in 
color the tint of the paper, 
to pass through. Then 










yDtaA* cut foicus xkcvrtytids 

7 ' 








1901 JANUARY 1904 




Sun. 


Hon. 


Tue. 


Wed. 


Thu. 


Frl. 


Sal. 




O 





1 


2 


3 


4 


5 




6 


7 


8 


9 


IO 


11 


12 




13 


14 


15 


16 


17 


18 


r9 




SO 


21 


22 


23 


24 


25 


26 




27 


28 


29 


30 


31 


O 







0000000 




Fig. 158. 



Fig. 159. 



fasten all the pieces of the calendar together in order, 
January being the first and December the last (Fig. 159). 
6 



82 What a Girl Can Make 

As each month passes by slide that leaf back on the cords, 
bringing after January, for instance, February to view. 
Hold the two loops of cord together at the top and hang 
the calendar where it may be readily seen. 
You can also 

Begin Illustrating Books 

Do not be surprised ! No knowledge of drawing and paint- 
ing is necessary in order to illustrate in the new, easy 
fashion. Decide upon some short story you wish to 
embellish ; then look among your scraps for appropriate 
pictures. Should you not find exactly what you want, 
make the pictures over to suit. 

If the story introduces a jolly little maiden full of fun, 
and describes her as feeding her pet dog and laughing at 
his antics, and there is no such maiden in your collections, 
look for one with the style of face you think the girl in the 
story ought to have. When this is found and the body 
is not satisfactory, cut off the head and hunt up an appro- 
priate body to fit it; that obtained, paste the pretty head 
on the new body and cut out the entire figure. Find 
a dog, in the correct position, in some old magazine or 
newspaper, cut out the animal, and before pasting the 
group in place try the effect of both on a blank piece 
of white paper. Slide the figures together and apart 
until you have them where they look best ; then paste 
the girl and dog neatly in position on the white paper, 
and the full-page illustration is ready for insertion in the 
book. 

Always leave a wide white margin on all illustrations ; 
never crowd the picture up to the very edge of the page if 
you desire it to look well, and be sure to dampen the wrong 
side of each picture before attempting to paste it in your 



Collections 



83 



book, that it may be smooth and not wrinkle. The new 
leaf for the picture should be cut wide enough to allow a 
quarter-inch projection or more over on the opposite page, 
as in Fig. 160, OO, where 



*■.,« 



iuwutm'lll'Uili flU 
„, Ik..**.* 



««. «.Ah„ 



■ XfeU .««,. jL U 
mill «.«. ///, *„, 



it can be pasted down on 
the inner margin of the 
other leaf. The dotted 
line indicates the centre 
of the book. 

Bound books will not 
admit of many extra 
leaves being inserted, so 
you can select only a few 
of the incidents in the 
narrative for illustration. 
Use care that the picture Flg< l6 °- 

shall express your idea of the event or place you desire to 
represent. Sometimes it may happen, by lack of suitable 
material, that you cannot finish certain pictures for days or 
weeks after they are begun. In such a case bide your time 
until the wished-for designs appear, and in the meantime 
go on with the other illustrations. 

If the book is paper-covered, you can take it all apart, 
insert as many pictures as you desire and fasten it together 
again. When obtainable use 

Colored Pictures and Photographs 

as illustrations. You may chance to find appropriate 
colored reproductions from water-color sketches, that will 
serve the purpose without alteration. Such would give a 
fine appearance to your book. Unmounted photographs 
can also be employed, but, if possible, avoid different styles 
of pictures in the same work. Keep the colored designs 



8 4 



What a Girl Can Make 



for one book, the prints for another, and the photographs 
for a third. Bear in mind that, whatever the nature of the 
illustrations, you are to use only such as appeal to you and 
express your ideas ; the scheme will lose individuality — 
that is, it will not represent your choice — if you select what 
others may deem best in preference to that which you 
would have chosen if left unmolested. It is the individu- 
ality which gives value to the work. 

Never attempt to illustrate a valuable book in this new 
way, though it would not injure, the volume if you found a 
good unmounted picture of the author and pasted it on one 
of the fly-leaves in the front of the book. The portrait 
would add to the value and interest of the volume, as 
would also items of information on the subject of which 
the book treats, if pasted on an extra loose leaf and left in 
the back of the book. 

When you have a collection of snap-shots that you wish 
to preserve, make 

A Photograph Book 

in which to keep them. Cut two pieces of stiff pasteboard, 
each 6y( inches wide and 5^ inches high. Use strong 

paste to fasten 

these on one 

side of a strip 

of heavy linen 

of a soft green 

color, 14^ 

inches long by 

6}£ inches wide. 

Fig. 161. Leave a space 

of uncovered linen three-fourths of an inch wide in the 

centre, Fig. 161. This will give the foundation for the 




Collections 



85 



1 






K 






L 




M 
M 


' K : 







cover of your book. Draw the linen tightly over the edge of 
the card-board at the top and bottom, paste it down smooth 
and even ; then paste the two end-pieces over, thus binding 
the four edges of the book. Cut sixteen leaves from heavy 
dull - surfaced 
paper, match- 
ing the green 
linen in color, 
make each 
leaf 6^ inches 
wide and 5*^ 
inches high. 
Two of the Fig. 162. 

leaves serve as lining for the cover, leaving fourteen leaves 
or twenty-eight pages for the unmounted photographs. 
Paste the first leaf on the left-hand side of the cover, let it 
fit over the turned-in border of linen and extend across the 
centre onto the edge of the other card-board, LL to KK, 

Fig. 162 ; the dotted 
lines indicate the 
turned-over linen un- 
derneath the paper 
leaf which is used as a 
lining. Take a second 
leaf and turn down the 
Fi e- l6 3- left hand edge to a 

depth of y± of an inch, leaving the leaf 6 inches wide. Cover 
the 1/^ of an inch extension with paste, then lap it over on 
the left-hand side of the centre and paste securely. The 
place where the side of the leaf should be fastened down to 
the lining of the cover is represented by MM in Fig. 162. 
Fig. 163 shows the space MM covered by the side of the 
leaf, the diagram giving two leaves properly glued together, 



■ — s : ; 

{ 

. i 



86 



What a Girl Can Make 



the dotted line indicates the centre of the book. As each 
leaf is fastened in, turn it over and paste the next one on it 
as in Fig. 163. Continue adding leaves, 
always allowing the right-hand leaf to 
overlap the left three-quarters of an 
inch. When the last leaf is fastened 
in place, paste it down tight on the 
right-hand side of the inside of the 
cover, where it will form a lining con- 
cealing the raw edges of the linen and 
the blank pasteboard as the first leaf 
covered the left-hand side of the inside 
of the cover. This system of fasten- 
ing the leaves together will cause 
them to fold in the back where there will be no raw edges. 
Fig. 164 gives four leaves, showing the back where they are 
folded over after each is joined to the preceding leaf. When 
the book is finished the back hinge part of the cover is free 
from the leaves, leaving an opening from top to bottom 
large enough to run a slender pencil through when the 
book is opened. If desired the cover can be decorated 
with the title " Snap-Shots." 





Making Valentines. 




CHAPTER VI 

ORIGINAL VALENTINES 

LWAYS alert, chubby little Cupid works 
hard on St. Valentine's Day ; his duties 
are many, and his pretty bow sends the 
arrows flying in all directions. He is a 
merry little fellow, full of queer pranks 
and a great favorite. The venerable 
St. Valentine seems to have merely 
loaned his name to the fourteenth of 
February, leaving all the duties to Cupid, who appears to 
be well pleased with the arrangement. For hundreds of 
years past the young people have been as anxious to send 
and receive valentines as at the present time 

In Former Days, 

before valentines were dropped in the mail-box, girls and 
boys had a great deal of fun sending them to each other. 
Generally the young folks waited until twilight ; then each 
would sally forth in his neighborhood, lightly step up to 
the front door of the house where the valentine was to be 
left, and without the least noise slip the paper under the 
door, ring the bell and scamper away as fast as possible, to 
avoid being seen. Valentines to-day bring the same thrill 
of pleasure, and when the whistle of the postman announces 
the arrival of the mail on the eventful day, eager fingers 
are impatient to open the envelope and discover the treas- 



9o 



What a Girl Can Make 



ure within. Then the question follows, " Who could have 
sent such a lovely valentine to me? " 

Before making original valentines try to think of some 
particular study or pursuit in which each friend is interested 
to whom you desire to send a token on February 14. One 
may have a talent for painting, another for music ; a third 
may delight in flowers, and so on throughout a long list of 
subjects which will furnish you with many suggestions for 



The Most Appropriate Valentine 

to be sent to each. As a little practice before using 
ideas entirely your own, try making the valentines here 
described. The mystic four-leaved clover (Fig. 165) would 
be just the thing for a companion who delights in hunting 
that symbol of good luck. This valentine is very simple 

and can be made in 
a short time. 

Cut a sheet of 
unruled heavy writ- 
ing-paper in halves 
and on one piece 
trace 

The Four-leaved Clover 

(Fig. 166). Paint it green; 
an even flat tint will look 
well if you cannot man- 
age shadows, but be care- 
ful to do the work to the 
Fis l65 - best of your ability. In 

plain lettering mark the words, Fig. 166 

" Good Luck to You, my Valentine ; " 





St. Valentines Day 



9i 



n 



then slide the missive into an envelope large enough to 
contain an unfolded half-sheet of paper. In case you hap- 
pen to have a natural four-leaved 
clover which has been pressed, use 
it instead of the painted one, and 
take a whole sheet of paper so that 
the brittle leaf may not be exposed, 
but can be secured inside the sheet 
on the third page by means of a 
little paste. With the pressed clover 
the lettering should be made on the 
outside of the sheet of paper before 
the leaf is placed within. 




Fig. 167. 




Fig. 168. 



Another easy valentine to make is 

The Easel Holding a Picture 

Cut this from stiff paper or light-weight card-board 
(Fig. 167). First trace the design on the card-board ; then 



9 2 



What a Girl Can Make 



cut it out and paint the easel golden-brown on both sides, 
except the part which forms the canvas for the picture and 
the cross-piece for the lettering-. Leave these white ; draw 
a line at the bottom of the canvas and letter the strip, 



" To my Valentine." 




Fig. i6g. 



Paste any pretty colored floral design you may possess on 
the blank space or canvas left for the purpose. Bend down 
the supporting strip (A) projecting from the top (Fig. 167), 
and the miniature picture and easel will stand alone and be 
ready to send to some friend who is studying drawing or is 
interested in art (Fig. 168). 

To an attractive friend who has no special fancy for any 



St. Valentines Day 



93 



particular avocation, send the valentine shown at Fig. 169. 
Make it of 

Two Heart-shaped Pieces 

of stiff white paper and a small piece of broken mirror. 
Cut the heart according to the size of the glass (Fig. 170) ; 




Fig. 170. 

then with strong paste fasten the mirror on the heart (Fig. 
170). Cut another heart exactly like the first, and and in its 
centre make a heart-shaped opening as large as possible, 
while leaving it small enough to cover well the edges of the 
glass. If you do not know how to make a heart-shaped 
design trace Fig. 169. Decorate the top part with a painted 
pink ribbon, and on one side write, 



94 What a Girl Can Make 

" Look into this Mirror Clear," 
and on the other, 

" And My True Love will Appear." 

At the bottom point of the valentine paste a Cupid ; then 
using strong paste fasten the heart-shaped frame over 
the glass and lay the valentine under several books until the 
paste is dry, taking the precaution to put a clean piece of 
paper underneath, and another over the top of the valentine 
to keep it perfectly fresh and clean. Any other style of 
decoration may take the place of the ribbon and Cupid. 
Small colored embossed paper forget-me-nots could be 
used. 

Should one of your friends delight in fireworks displays 
give her 

The Firecracker 

shown at Fig. 171. Roll together a piece of stiff paper two 
inches wide and three inches long (Fig. 172); let the two 
sides overlap each other slightly and join them securely 



Fig. 171. 

with strong paste, forming a hollow tube. Have the paper 
the peculiar red of genuine firecrackers, if you can obtain 
such. For the inside take a piece of white paper four 
inches long and a trifle less than three inches wide and 
write on it these words : 

" Your eyes are so bright 
That if they were mine, 
I would soon have a light 



For this queer valentine." p^. 1?2 , 



St. Valentine's Day 



95 



2, 



nvi MJ/o 04/ 4T. 



M 



In the turned-over edge at the bottom of the paper paste 
a waxed string, as in Fig. 173. Then roll the paper and 

insert it in the red tube (Fig. 171). 
One of the prettiest customs 
of St. Valentine's Day was insti- 
tuted by the daughter of Henry 
IV. of France, Madam Royal, 
who built a palace and named it 
the Valentine. She then gave a 
grand party in honor of St. Val- 
entine where each lady received 
a beautiful bou- 
quet of flowers 
from one who 
was chosen as 
her valentine. The same gallantry was repeated ever after 
on like occasions. The idea of the valentine flowers is very 
pleasing, and we will use it in a modified form, but instead 
of cut blossoms in a bouquet we will have 






^Z 



Fig. i73- 



A Pot of Growing Flowers 

(Fig. 174). Trace on reddish-brown card-board (Fig. 175), and 
cut it out, also cut the point B and the slits C and E. Bring 
the two sides together, sliding the end D over, not under, 
through the slit C, at the same time pushing the point B 
into the small slit E ; and bend back the extension D on 
the wrong side to hold the sides together and keep the 
flower-pot upright. Cut out the bottom (Fig. 176) and let 
it drop down through the top of the flower-pot until it 
lodges. Straighten and fit it in evenly ; then cut out the top 
(Fig. 177) of dark card-board, as it represents the earth. Of 
course, one cannot dig holes in paper earth to plant paper 
flowers, so slits must be made according to Fig. 177. On 



96 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 174- 



white card-board trace Fig's. 178, 179, and 180; paint them to 
resemble as nearly as possible natural pinks, and plant them 




Fig. 175- 



St. Valentine's Day 



97 




Fig. 176. 




Fig. 177. 



in the paper earth in this way : slip the rounded extension 
of Fig. 178 through the slit F (Fig. 177). Bend back the 
angular part K and slide its 
extension L through the small 
slit T. Turn the paper earth 
over on the wrong side, hold- 
ing the flowers in position the 
while, and bend up the roots 
of the two projecting pieces against the 
under side of the disk or earth ; paste 
them in place. Next plant Fig. 179 in the same manner, 
sliding its rounded extension through slit G, and its smaller 
one through slit O. Plant the last flower (Fig. 180) through 

slit H ; adjust the earth or 
top disk, and the finished 
work will be a little round 
flower-pot filled with grow- 
ing pinks standing up sepa- 
rately from each other and 
looking very bright and 
natural (Fig. 174). On a 
dainty piece o£ / — ^ 

paper write this 
message : 

"Go, Little Flowers, 
Salute My Valentine, 
Who Can, Who May, 
Fig. 178. L Who Must Be Mine." 

Place the note inside the flower-pot. Pretty colored 
printed flowers or embossed ones for scrap-books, which 
may be bought in almost any toy-store, can be substituted 
for the pinks. Fasten them in position by making three 





98 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. I 



tracings of Fig. 181 and pasting a 
group of flowers and foliage on 
each one ; these extra pieces will 
furnish the flowers 

with proper paper 

roots, which can be 

planted and fitted in 

the paper earth in 

the same manner as L 

the pinks. 




A Gentle Little Friend 

should receive the valentine which is shown at Fig. 182. 
Cut from white card-board the circular disk (Fig. 183); 

around its edge write : 

" Lift the Loop and You Shall See 
That Which Makes Me Think of Thee." 

From fancy gold 
paper cut a circular 
band (Fig. 184) 
smaller in circum- 
ference than the 
card-board ; fold it 
through the centre 
(Fig. 185), bring the 
folded ends together 
and again fold (Fig. 
186). Once more 
fold (Fig. 187) and 
Fig. 182. from this cut the 

outline seen in Fig. 188, being careful not to cut the folded 
ends P and Q. Unfold the paper and you will have Fig. 




St. Valentines Day 



99 




189. Place this orna- 
mental golden band 
on the white card- 
board. It should fit 
just inside the writing. 
Stick it down slightly 
here and there with a 
very little paste ; then 
make Fig. 190 of fancy 
white paper. Insert 




Fig. 183. 

the scissors at the beginning 

(S) and cut the spiral around 

and around in one unbroken 

strip until the centre is 

reached. In the centre make 

a short slit and push the two 

ends of a narrow white rib- Fig - 

bon through the slit; then turn the spiral over, and paste 

each end of the ribbon flat 
against the paper, as in Fig. 





Fig. 185. Fig. 186. 

191. Have ready a white paper dove and fasten it in the 
centre of Fig. 183, which has previously been decorated 

Loft?. 



IOO 



What a Girl Can Make 



with the gold-paper design. Slide the end S of the spiral 
under the edge of the gold band, placing the spiral so that it 



OC2! 




Fig. 189 



Fig. 191. 



will lie flat and even inside "" the golden paper and 

will cover the centre of the valentine. Lift the cover by 
the loop and you will have a glimpse of the white dove, 
which means peace and gentleness. 



CHAPTER VII 




VEGETABLE ANIMALS AND FRUIT LANTERNS 

O YOU know that with the aid 
of a little enchantment equal to 
magic employed by the fairy 
folks of old, you can make a tiny 
fowl, one small enough to stand 
on the palm of your hand? A 
certain process which you shall 
learn will cause a common raw 
potato to change into a wee 
turkey of which anyone might 
well be proud. 
The wands you will use for the work differ in nature 
and appearance and are far superior to the fairy wands ; the 
latter are merely stiff sticks said to be endowed with magi- 
cal powers, while yours are of most wonderful workman- 
ship and adapted to any use to which you care to put them. 
More than that, you have complete control over the wands; 
at your command they do your bidding, making all kinds of 
useful and beautiful things, from the most delicate and 
fragile articles to the largest and heaviest creations. One 
of your wands is known as the right, the other as the left 
hand. Look at these pliable and exquisitely fashioned 
wands, think of all they have accomplished and may do for 
you, then set them both to work on your 



102 



WJiat a Girl Can Make 



o 



Fig. 192. 




Fig. 193. 



Potato Turkey 

Select a small potato (Fig. 192), break off the ends of 
three burnt matches and force the longer portions into the 
potato, two to serve 
as legs, and one as a 
support (Fig. 193). 
Trace Fig. 194 on 
stiff brown paste- 
board, an old box-lid 
will be the best thing to use, its surface 
being dull and almost the same in color 
as the potato. Cut out the tracing and mark eyes, mouth, 
and tuft on it with ink (Fig. 195). If you wish to have your 
turkey look extra fine, make wattles 
J> "N of red paper or cloth (Fig. 196) ; fold 
j / as in Fig. 197, and paste the band-like 
/ / upper portion over each side of the 
/ I turkey's neck, allowing the lower 
f >> flaps to hang free (Fig. 198). Cut a 

slit in the potato (Fig. 192, A-A) and 
lsert the head, pushing in the exten- 
sion as far as the dotted line, or until 
it fits (Fig. 199). Make a small open- 
ing on each side of the ~ turkey (Fig. 199, C) and 
stick in two curved 4? ""^ feathers for wings. If 
you have only } / stiff feathers, 
choose two )] I small ones, and 
with your fore- // V finger and thumb 
bend the ribs CtT ^^ (Fig- 200) until 
Fig. 196. they are round- A /\ ed enough to Fi ^- I 97- 
cling to the sides of /]\/^ the turkey. Use stiff 
feathers for the tail, Fig . Ig8 . first making holes in 



\ na 

A > sli 

/ 1\ /"** mJ 



Fig. 194. 





Vegetable Animals and Fruit Lanterns 103 



the turkey in which to insert them (Fig. 199). Push the 
feathers in securely, and should they stand up unevenly at 





Fig. 200. 



Fig. 201. 



varying heights, trim them carefully with scissors and the 
turkey will be finished (Fig. 201). 
In the South a young pig, called 

A Shoat, 

is considered as desirable as a turkey and is eaten with much 

relish. Of course, each person is served with only a portion 

and cannot have a whole one, as 

is your privilege ; for your shoat, 

like the turkey, will be very 

small, no larger than a lemon, 

and of the same color — in fact, 

it is a lemon to begin with (Fig. 

202). Four sticks furnish the 

legs (Fig. 203). The ears are Fig. 202. 




io4 



What a Girl Can Make 



formed by cutting the skin in 
the shape of a V on each side of 
the pointed end of the lemon 
(Fig. 204, B) and bending up the 
points (Fig. 205). A slender 
stick bent at short intervals 
(Fig. 206) until it simulates a 
twist or curl is used for a tail 
(Fig. 207). 

Flg - 2 ° 3 - In cutting the ears be cau- 

tious not to pierce entirely through the skin ; allow the 
point of the knife to enter only deep enough into the rind 






Fig. 204. Fig. 205. 

to cut a piece of sufficient thickness to turn up without 
breaking, and have the slender sticks used for legs and 
tail sharpened at one end 
so they may readily be 
pushed into the 
lemon. Ordi- 
nary wooden 
toothpicks will 
answer the pur- 
pose, but they must first be 
broken into shorter lengths 
for the legs. The eyes are 
two black-headed pins. ' Fig. 207. 




Fig. 206. 




Vegetable Animals and Fruit Lanterns 105 




Fig. ao8. 




Fig. 209. 



Turtle Soup 

is thought a great delicacy 
by some families, who deem 
a holiday dinner incomplete 
without the dish. While we 
do not care for the soup, we 
would like a small turtle, one that will not 
snap at us but be content to remain quiet and look natural. 
Ask for a large raisin (Fig. 208) and six cloves, five with- 
out and one with the 
round seed ; work in 
the four cloves with 
claw - like ends to 
Fig. 210. serve as feet (Fig. Fi e- 2I1 - 

Use the reverse end of a clove for the tail (Fig. 210) 
the round seed clove for a 

(Fig. 211). w ^^^^^^ ^^s j^l Bend the head 
and tail up and toJ^ -Jgjlj^ the feet down 

(Fig. 212). Beau- —Jsa — Jr* tiful golden 

x => J Fig. aia. , & 

pumpkins hold a prominent place 

in the minds of Americans. Beside the delicious pies made 
of the yellow fruit, there are the 





209). 

and 

head 



Funny Lanterns 

fashioned by cutting a semblance of a face in the pump- 
kin, shaking out the inside fibre and seeds, and, in the 
evening, placing a lighted candle in the queer head, 
causing the light to shine through eyes, nose, and mouth 
in a manner startling to those unaccustomed to the 
sight. 



io6 



What a Girl Can Make 



The real pumpkin is large and heavy to handle, but you 
can have 

A Substitute 

in the form of an apple. Choose one that is deep red in 
color, in order to have the greatest possible contrast be- 




Fig. 213. 



Fig. 214. 



Fig. 215. 



tween the features and the head proper. It will not be 
necessary nor desirable to light up the face, the apple head 
is comical enough with the face merely cut in its surface 
and the work is very easy. Cut out 
from the apple 
(Fig. 213) two tri- 
angles near the 
top for eyes (Fig. 
214) ; directly be- 
low the eyes but 
in the central part 
cut the triangular 
nose (Fig. 215); 
Fig. 216. under the nose Fi e- 2I ?- 

make the mouth in the shape of a slender crescent (Fig. 216), 
and tie a ribbon on the stem as an ornamental headdress 
(Fig. 217). There! you have fairly made the apple laugh. 
Only see how it is stretching its mouth in a broad grin ! 





CHAPTER VIII 

PASTEBOARD MODELS FOR A HOME DRAW- 
ING CLASS 




TUDY drawing at home and make your 
own models ; form a class of several 
girls and work together ; criticise one 
another's drawings, and get a criticism 
from an artist whenever you can. Much 
may be accomplished in this way if you 
have the enthusiasm, perseverance, and 
will to carry it through. Starting with 
one object, complete in itself, a variety of forms may be 
evolved, and combinations can be made until an entirely 
new model is produced. Such, for instance, is the church 
shown in the illustration. First there is the house, then the 
house with a chimney, the house with chimney and one 
wing, the house with chimney and two wings ; then the 
church, which is made by adding turret and steeple, the 
church without wings, and the church with wings. A 
number of times this model may be used, changing the 
position and adding to or taking from it, and a different 
picture will be the result of each drawing. 
Simpler models like 

The Pyramid 

can also be made, and it is well to try your hand on this 
before attempting the more complicated forms, 

107 



io8 



What a Girl Can Make 



Lay a sheet of heavy card-board flat on your work-table 
and draw carefully four triangles like Fig. 218. These are for 



the four sides of the 
to keep your lines 
each side according 
given on the diagram, 
measurement from 
inches, and the width 
and one-half inches, 
or large shears, cut 
pains to keep your 
lines. Besides the 
need a roll of passe- 
comes in one -inch 
med, for making 
It is strong, easily 
gether more conven- 




pyramid. Use a rule 
straight, and make 
to the dimensions 
You will see that the 
apex to base is ten 
at the bottom is six 
With a sharp knife, 
out each part, taking 
edges true to the 
card-board you will 
partout paper. This 
widths, ready gum- 
passe-partout frames, 
handled, and alto- 
ient for joining the 



Pasteboard Model of Church. 



parts of the models than ordinary strips of paper. Should 
the passe-partout paper be out of reach use new cotton cloth 



Models for a Home Drawing Class 109 





Fig. 219. 



cut in even one-inch strips. Of course the cloth or paper 
must be white. Cut off a strip of your gummed paper a 

little longer than 

the long edge of 

the triangle. With 

a pin at each end, 

pin it to the table, 

the gummed side 

up, and draw a 

line lengthwise 

through the mid- 
dle, dividing it 

exactly in half. 

Have ready a 

glass of clear 

water and a paint 
brush, dip the brush in the water, and with it moisten 
one half of the paper. Over the wet half lay one of the 
triangles so that its 
long edge almost 
touches the central 
line, then gently press 
it until the paper holds 
fast to the card-board 
(Fig. 219). Remove 
the pins and turn the 
triangle over to make 
sure the paper is quite 
smooth on the right- 
side ; then lay it down 
again, moisten the 
other half of the 
gummed surface and Fig. no. 







no 



What a Girl Can Make 



press another triangle over that part, keeping the edges of 
the two triangles perfectly parallel, but not touching. The 




Fig. 221. 

space between the edges must be left to give room for the 
bending of the corners (Fig. 220). Pin a second strip of 

paper to the table, moisten one 
half, and press still another tri- 
angle in place ; continue doing 
this until all four sides of the 
pyramid are joined as in Fig. 221 ; 
then bring the last two edges 
together, while holding it in your 
hand, and press the moistened 
paper down, smoothing out any 
wrinkles that may appear. Last- 
ly, trim off the ends of the paper 
at the bottom, and stand your 
pyramid up, holding it so that its 
base will form a perfect square (Fig. 222). Do not allow 
it to flatten and form a diamond, The top edges of the 




Fig. 222. 



Models for a Home Drawing Class 1 1 1 



paper should be trimmed off as the sides are put to- 
gether. 

There are six parts to 

The House, 

two sides, two ends, and two halves of the roof. Draw 
these on your heavy card-board, like Fig. 223, the roof; Fig. 
224, the side, and 



ROOF 



Fig. 225, the end, 
making them ac- 
cording to the di- 
mensions given on 
each diagram. Put 
the house together, 
as you did the 
pyramid, with the 
passe-partout paper. Flg - 223 - 

When you have joined the sides and ends of the house 
and have fastened the two halves of 
the roof together, paste strips of the 
passe-partout paper along the upper 
edges of the sides of the house, as in 
Fig. 226. These strips must be on the 




side: 



Fig. 22^, 



112 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 227. 



inside, and half of the 
paper must extend 
above the edges of 
the sides. Moisten 
this part and, fitting 
the roof to the house, 
put your hand inside 
and press the paper 
up against the roof ; 
this will hold it se- 
curely in place. In 
fitting the roof on, be 
sure it extends exact- 
ly the same distance 
over each end of the 
house (Fig. 227). 



The Chimney 

is adjustable and 
is not fastened to 
the house. Make 
four sides ; two 
like Fig. 228, two 
like Fig. 229. The 
dimensions of 
each side are 
given on the dia- 
grams. In put- 
ting the chimney 
together, paste 
your strips of 
paper only as far 



Models for a Home Drawing Class 113 



up as the dotted line at the top, 
the part beyond this line is to 
be turned over as in Fig-. 230, 
which shows the completed 
chimney. Make ; 

The Wings 



iV 



^ 



rt~r 






Fig. 229. Fig. 230. 




with slanting roofs like the ones 
shown in the illustration of the Fig. 228 
church. Fig. 231 is 
the highest side, which 
goes next the house 
when the wing is add- 
ed ; Fig. 232 is the 
lower side ; Fig. 233 
is for the two ends, 
which are exactly 
alike, and Fig. 234 is Fig. 231. 

the roof. The dimensions are given on the diagrams. 

The Tower and Steeple 

which transform the house into a church are shown in the 
illustration. Cut two sides for the tower like Fig. 235, and 

two like Fig. 236, 
and put them to- 
gether like Fig. 237. 
The notches in the 
lower part of the 
tower and of the 
chimney allow them 
to sit astride the 
roof, which position holds them in place without making 




ii4 



What a Girl Can Make 



them permanent. Fig. 238 and Fig. 239 are for the cornice 
of the tower, which is something like a box with a square 



End. 



3jj? 

Fig. 333- 



"Roo^- 



9V 
Fig- 234- 



*? 



St** 





h l\ 



opening at the bottom and a round hole at the top. Cut 
Fig. 238 according to the dimensions given and bend at the 

dotted lines, first the 
lengthwise lines, 
then the cross ones. 
Allow the laps with 
the trimmed corners 
to come on top of 
the others. Put the 
two end edges to- 
gether with the 
gummed paper to 
form a square, then with a drop of glue or paste at each 
corner fasten the laps in position, as shown in Fig. 240. 




Fig. 236. 



Fig. 237. 



k 



3^ 



fp£ 



-3E 8 



3** 



IS* 






St 



K 



Fig. 238. 



In the centre of a perfect square, made according to the 
dimensions on the diagram, Fig. 239, cut a circular hole ; 



Models for a Home Drawing Class 115 




The Tower and Steeple which Transform the House into a Church. 



u6 



What a Girl Can Make 



paste strips of paper along the four edges of the square, 
Fig. 241, bend down the free edges of the paper and paste 




Fig. 24a 




Fig. 241. 



the square on top of the cornice. Fig. 240 is the cornice 
with top down to show its construction. Cut the steeple 
from rather heavy drawing-paper, like Fig. 242, keeping to 
the dimensions on the diagram. Turn in the lower laps and 





Fig. 242. 



Fig. 243. 



paste the side lap over the corresponding edge to form a 
cone (Fig. 243). Drop a little glue on each of the lower 
laps, place the cone directly over the circular hole in the 



Models for a Home Drawing Class 117 

top of the cornice, and, slipping your fingers through the 
hole, press the laps down until they are firmly fixed. Fit 
the cornice on the tower, but do not attempt to glue it, for 
it will hold its place quite well without. 

Your own ingenuity will suggest other models to be 
made in this way ; any angular object is easily constructed, 
and curved ones are not impossible. 




CHAPTER IX 

QUICK INK PICTURES 

HEN you happen to drop ink on paper you 
may be using, do not look disconsolate and 
feel uncomfortable. Make a joke of the acci- 
dent by turning the blot into something funny. 
Fold the paper over the ink-spot, press the 
two sides together ; then open the fold, and 
you will find the dull, round blot transformed 
into a queer, comical-looking object the like 
of which was never seen on land or sea. The 
strange thing about these oddities is that try as you 
may you cannot coax any two ink-drops to change 
themselves into the same shape ; they utterly refuse 
to do so. Experiment with them and you will soon 
realize that each has its own independent idea regarding 
the figure it will assume, insisting, when you press it, upon 
taking the matter into its own hidden hands and turning 
into whatever it pleases. The various results are generally 
decorative and might often be used with good effect for 
book-plates. 

If You Have a Group 

of three or four ink-drops, they may be controlled to a cer- 
tain extent. Hold the paper so that the wet ink will trickle 
downward, and you can join the blots together, elongating 
the design ; then, when the paper is folded lightly, if you 

118 



Ink Pictures 119 



press the ink with short, gentle strokes out sidewise the 
tiny splashes tend in that direction, and an upward move- 
ment will cause the ink to spread upward— sometimes in 
little streaks, again in a bulging way, giving an uneven, un- 
dulating boundary. Should the paper be folded across the 
ink the result would be a single figure, while an allowance 
of an eighth or quarter of an inch space before creasing the 




Ink Marine. Fig. 244. 



paper gives two designs, one a duplicate because a print of 
the other. A similar method of making ink-impressions is 
to splash the fluid on the paper with a paint-brush and then 
to fold and press it ; or, group drops of ink with the splash 
of a brush and press the two sides of the paper together. 
The ink-impressions may be made to take the form of 

Landscapes and Marines 

Often very pretty effects can be produced in this simple 
manner. Fig. 244 is a suggestion showing a stretch of sky 
with mountains as a background and points of land jutting 



120 



What a Girl Can Make 



out into the sea for the middle distance, while the fore- 
ground is entirely of water, which reflects the distant 
purple hills. The picture is readily made, but the work 
must be rapid to insure success, as delays cause the ink to 
dry in spots, which ruin the design. Fold through the 
centre a piece of blank, unruled paper from a large-sized 
writing pad ; open it and on the upper portion mark the 
sections according to diagram Fig. 245. The dotted line 
indicates the crease through the centre of the paper and 



A 


^B ^< 


° ^^ 


D 










E 









Fig. 245. 

gives the distance at which the first sections should be 
placed above the fold. With a lead-pencil lightly trace the 
divisions : have ready a bottle of ink, a common water-color 
brush, a glass of water and a clean dinner-plate. Dip the 
brush in the ink and dab it on the plate several times ; then 
do the same with the water, mixing ink and water together. 
Try the strength of this mixture on a scrap of paper; if it 
corresponds to the tone of the second point of land in Fig. 
244 (or A in the diagram) it is ready for use. B and D 
(Fig. 245) require a degree lighter than A, so mix more 
water than ink on a clean place in the plate. C (Fig. 245) 
is the faintest mountain and needs the most water mixed 
with ink. Use ink as it comes from the bottle for E (Fig. 245), 
the nearest point of land, as that is the darkest portion. Test 
the three tones and keep changing them, adding more water 



Ink Pictures 



121 



as needed, until you are satisfied that each one is of the re- 
quired strength ; then wash the brush clean and be sure 
everything is ready for the work. Having once commenced, 
you cannot stop an instant until the sketch is finished ; un- 
derstand exactly what you intend to do and how you are to 
do it before beginning, as there will be 

No Time for Deliberation, 

and you must work as fast as possible. Dip the brush in 
the lightest tone of diluted ink, have it well charged with 
the fluid, and in swift strokes paint C. Without 
stopping, take up the next lightest tone 
on the brush and sweep in B and D, then 
the darker, A, and finish with E in pure 
ink. Fold the paper immediately, and, 

holding it down ^. - flat on the table 

with the left (~ J hand, press with 
the right; rub ^— — ^ the paper all 
over again and Flg - 247 - again, being 
sure to cover the entire surface in order 
to print the mountains on the lower portion of the paper. 
The study will then be finished with the exception of the 
sailing-vessel, which may be indicated with a few strokes. 
Bring the brush to a fine point and trace in ink the lines 
of Fig. 246. First make the central vertical line, then the 
slanting line on the right-hand side which joins the mast 
a short distance from the top, from the same point extend 
two lines down on the left. Fig. 247 is the hull of the 
vessel, and the straight line crossing it a short distance from 
the top denotes the narrow space to be left white. Fig. 248 
shows the complete outline of the craft, intentionally made 
as simple as possible, to enable any girl to introduce the 
boat into the sketch without difficulty. As is seen in Fig. 





Fig 246. 



Fig. 248. 



122 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 249. 



244, the boat is filled in with black and duplicates itself in 
the shadow reflected on the water, but the shadow must be 
made with the brush ; it cannot be printed from the boat. 

The chrysalis of the 

Ink Butterfly 

(Fig. 249) was made of two or three 
ink-blots and a splash of ink from 
a paint-brush. This chrysalis did 
not in the least resemble a real 
one, but when the paper 
was folded along- the edge 
of the ink a butterfly ap- 
peared. 
On soft-finish paper write any word you choose ; 

then, while the ink is wet, fold the paper, and upon 

opening it you will find 

An Odd Design 

Figs. 250 and 251 were made in this way; both r 
from written words which represent most desirable 

states of mind. When you can gain Fig. 
250 you will surely have Fig. 251. 

The Fantastic Horses 

(Fig. 252) gave no hint of what might be 
expected when they were first seen in the 
form of a group of shiny black spots, and it 
was only after opening the folded paper that 
they revealed their true character as extrav- 
aganza animals with legs different in length 
Fig. 251. and extraordinary eyes. 





Ink Pictures 



123 





Fig. 252. 



You can make creatures 
wilder in appearance than 
these, and in this way form 
a collection of pictures of 
the animals you have never 
known. 

Fig. 253 represents 

A Pair of Birds 

of a peculiar kind, found 
nowhere but inside ink- 
bottles. Others may come 
from the same source, but 
none will be precisely like these. Try the experiment of 
ink-drops on pieces of muslin ; work rapidly and you will 

be delighted with the re- 
sults. 

If you are fond of 

Nature Study 

and happen to have vines 
or any other kind of house 
Flg * 253- plants, you can make valu- 

able ink sketches from them. Break off a few pieces of the 
main growth. Take one at a time, and with the left hand 
hold the spray either in the bright sunlight or lamplight in 
such a way as to cast a distinct clean shadow upon the 
paper pad that is placed beneath it. With a brush dipped 
into the ink, paint over the shadow ; be careful to follow 
every turn and twist of leaf and stem, that the sketch may 
be true in every detail. You will find the work to be 
quick and easy and the results satisfactory. In no other 




124 



What a Girl Can Make 





Fig. 254. 



ent plants 
decorative 



way can better characteristic growth of the 
various specimens be obtained. Notice care- 
fully Fig. 254, 
and it will give 
a true idea of 
the plant; and 
Fig. 255, how 
naturally and 
gracefully the 
vine turns in curving 
lines. Fig. 256 gives 
sprigs from four differ- Flg - 255- 

Can you name them ? All the studies are 
and furnish original designs for embroidery, 

or wood-carving, but, 
best of all, you can 
make and use this 
kind of ink -pictures 
as illustrations for the 
book in which you 
write down your 
notes on Nature 
study, and so be able, 
after describing a plant, to 
give an original, realistic pict- 
ure of it. 

Small specimens can be 
painted with ink, root and 
all forming one picture, but 
larger plants must be sep- 
arated at the centres and a 
study made of each part, the two halves being placed side 
by side on the same piece of paper. 




Fig. 256. 



CHAPTER X 



MOVING TOYS 




OW would you like a merry-go-round 
with all the animals prancing one after 
another, each with a girl or a boy on 
its back, riding along regardless of the 
speed of the steed, like the real ones 
you have tried in the parks and at the sea- 
shore ? 

The Merry-go-round 

Fig. 257, is easily made, the work consisting 
mostly of stringing different things on a hat- 
pin and sticking the pin through a box. Pro- 
cure a long hat-pin (Fig. 258), a large, empty 
spool (Fig. 259), three small corks (Fig. 260) 
and, for a foundation, a round flat box if you can obtain or 
make it, if not, a common note-paper box must answer the 
purpose. A piece of string about a yard long and two 
shank buttons will help out the simple machinery (Fig. 259). 
The canopy is of paper or card-board (Fig. 261) and the 
support for the animals of card-board (Fig. 262). 

Lay a piece of card-board flat and place over it an ordi- 
nary tea-plate ; hold the plate steady and draw a circle on 
the card-board by running the lead-pencil around the edge of 
the plate. This will give a circle of about the desired size. 
Then draw bands across the circle, as in Fig. 262 ; to do 
this draw lines dividing the circle into quarters and at the 

125 



126 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig- 257- 

left of each of the four lines draw a line a little more than 
half an inch away from it, making four bands (Fig. 262). 



Moving Toys 



127 




Fig. 259. 



Cut out the circle, then the four wedge-shaped pieces be- 
tween the bands, and bend up the end of each band five- 
^ eighths of an inch (Fig. 
262). 

On these ends paste 
any stiff paper animals 
you may happen to have, 
(Fig. 263), selecting those 
which will balance each 
other, as the merry-go- 
round must revolve evenly 

mals look well and are stiff enough to hold themselves 
firmly in place. Should you not happen to possess 
these, animals from old pamphlets, advertisements or 
newspapers may be used. They should be stiffened by 
being pasted flat on thin card-board or stiff paper. When 
fastening the animals on the merry-go-round paste the body 
of the animal to the turned-up end of the card-board band 
(Fig. 263). 

In Making the Canopy 



Colored scrap-book ani- 



Fig. 
258. 



use a small saucer or bowl as a guide to draw the circle on 
paper or card-board. Cut out the circle, point it around the 
edge (Fig. 261), turn the points down and the canopy is 
ready to go on the hat-pin. If you do not 
have the correct-sized plate, saucer, or bowl, 
the circles may be drawn with the aid of a 
home-made compass. To make the com- 
pass, take a pair of scissors and a piece of 
card-board (Fig. 264), punch two holes about two inches 
apart in the card-board and through them pass the points 
of the scissors until they extend through on the other side 
an inch or a trifle more ; secured in this way the scissors 




Fig. 260. 



128 



What a Girl Can Make 



make a very good compass. Adjust the scissors so that the 
distance between the two points is four inches, then firmly 




f * ».«H-iji<y 








/ 
/ 

/ 




\ 


/ 






i 








1 


1 * 








1 


\ ! 




■■'■ ■ 

i 
/ 
/ 


\ 




/ 


\ 




/ 




s 




Foia- Here. /'' 





Fig. 262. 



Fig. 261. 

stick the sharper point 
in a piece of card- 
board and, keeping 
that steady, slowly 
move the other point 
around in a circle, 
pressing it down only hard enough to scratch the surface 
(Fig. 264). Make the circle for the canopy in the same way, 
but have the distance be- 
tween the scissor points 
much less — not more than 
two and one-fourth inches 
— in order to preserve the 
Fig. ae 3 . correct proportions. 
Now watch the almost 

Magical Forming of the Merry-go- 
round 

Pass the long hat-pin (Fig. 258) through 

the exact centre of the canopy (Fig. 261) ,g ' 2 4 ' 

then put on one of the corks (Fig. 260) ; work this up tight 





Moving Toys 129 



to the canopy that it may hold the latter in place. Twist 
the cork around and around on the pin, as it will be apt to 
go on crooked if the pin be forced carelessly through the 
cork. String on another cork, working it up the pin mid- 
way, then slide on the bands, with the animals attached, 
pushing the pin through the exact centre of the pasteboard ; 
next put on the large spool. 

The Box Must Have Some Holes 

made in it before using ; puncture two one inch from the 
front edge and four inches apart in the lid ; then make two 
more holes through both lid and box on the front side half 
an inch from the top and five inches apart, as seen in the 
illustration. Fig. 257. 

Stick the loaded pin through the centre of the box-lid, 
bringing it well down, and cover the extreme point of the 
pin with the last cork in order to prevent the pin from com- 
ing through and pricking. This cork must lie firmly on the 
bottom of the inside of the box. 

The merry-go-round is now ready for the machinery to 
set it in motion. Pass the string around the spool and cross 
the two ends in front (Fig. 259) keeping the ends crossed ; 
thread one of the ends through the two holes on its own side 
of the box, bringing the end out from the front of the box, do 
the same with the other end of the string as shown in the il- 
lustration. To prevent the string from accidentally slipping 
back through the holes, tie a shank button on each of the ends. 

Now, holding the box with one hand, gently 

- Pull One End of the String 

with the other hand and see the animals go dancing around, 
just like the big wooden griffins, zebras, and giraffes on 
real carousals. 
9 



130 What a Girl Can Make 

Of course, the merry-go-round needs boys and girls to 
ride the animals and enjoy the sport. Look them up in the 
advertisements of old magazines, newspapers, or wherever 
you can find paper young people. Cut them out neatly and 
let them take turns riding on the different animals. When 
cutting out the legs of the paper children, merely cut up a 
deep slit to divide the legs in order to make the riders cling 
firmly to the various animals. 

The brighter the colors used in the merry-go-round the 
gayer and more attractive its appearance. There is 

Something Very Fascinating 

in the toy ; even grown people are interested and amused 
as they watch it whiz around with its burden of happy little 
paper children. Another lively game for paper children is 
the 

Flag Dance, 

(Fig. 265), where each doll actually waves its own little 
paper flag as she dances to and fro. 

Make four small flags of different colored tissue-paper, 
each \y 2 inch wide and 3 inches long, which allows for 
fastening to the staff. 

Four little paper girls can be cut from Fig. 266. Take 
four half-sheets of stiff, unruled white writing-paper, fold 
each lengthwise through the centre ; then trace Fig. 266 
and cut it out of an extra piece of paper. Lay this half 
figure with its straight edge on the fold of one of the papers 
and with a lead-pencil draw a line around it. Cut out and 
open (Fig. 267). Make four dolls. Cut the flag-staff off the 
right hand of two and off the left hand of the other two, 
that the hands on the outside of the group, when the dolls 






Moving Toys 



131 



are in place, may hold the flags (Fig. 268). Draw or paint 
a face and dress on each of the little girls, being sure to use 
the inside of the bend or fold for the front of the doll, as 
this slight inclination to fold forward after the doll is cut 

out and straightened 
out flat is of great 
assistance in bracing 
the figure when it is 
in position. Cut a slit 
up between the feet, 
but no further. Let 
the legs be of one 
piece, to insure greater 
strength to the stand- 
ing doll (Fig. 267). 
Fold the flag-staff 
lengthwise, also the 
hand holding it, and 
give to each of the 
paper children one of 
the home-made tissue- 
paper flags by pasting a 
flag on every flag-staff (Fig. 
268). When the dolls are 
ready, obtain a very flex- 
ible, slender, cloth-covered, long steel from a dress-waist or 
stays, and tie a strong black thread from end to end, mak- 
ing a stretch of nine or ten inches. On the centre of this 
thread tie another about a yard long (Fig. 265), and on the 
steel foundation fasten the four dolls. They should stand 
erect, one on each end, and two midway between centre and 
ends. 

Fig. 268 shows the method of pasting the feet of the fig- 




132 



What a Girl Can Make 



ures on the steel ; slide the steel up between the feet ; then 
bend them forward and glue one foot on each side of the 
steel, flat against it. Fasten a flag, about four and a half 
inches long, on the end of a long, strong hat-pin; then stick 
the pin firmly in a small pastry-board and slip the steel with 
its pretty children over it, resting the centre of the steel 
flat against the pin, which is now a flag-pole (Fig. 265). 
Take hold of the loose end 

of the thread and step back 

from the table on which the 

dolls are placed. When a suf- 
ficient distance away to cause 

the thread to stretch out 

straight give it a number of 

gentle jerks in quick succession. 

This will cause all the paper 

children to rush back and 

forth, waving their bright flags 

in triumph. 

They can enter more heart- 
ily into the play if there is 

music, and it gives life to the 

" flag dance." Ask your corn- 
Fig. 266. panion to strike up the " Star- 
Spangled Banner" on a comb while you Fig. 267. 
make the little paper children dance in time to the music, 
which you can do by jerking the thread to the musical 
rhythm. 

Find three large-sized button-moulds and some burnt 
matches for your 

Button-mould Tops 

Select round matches, as they will fit the holes in the but- 
ton-moulds. Place one mould flat down on a piece of orange- 








Moving Toys 



133 






colored paper and draw a line on the paper around its edge. 
Cut out the circular paper and paste it on the flat side of the 
button-mould; then pierce a hole through its surface, ex- 
actly over the hole in the mould, slide a match, unburnt end 
first, through the mould, until it extends about one-third 

beyond the bottom of 

the mould. If the match 

does not seem firm, fasten 

it in place with a little 

mucilage. When this top 

is finished, make two more ot the 

same size, one covered with red and 

the other with green paper. No 

string is necessary for spinning these 

tops ; merely give each one a twist 

with the thumb and second finger of 

the right hand and around it goes. 




The Game 

consists in spinning the three tops, 
one immediately after the other, the 
red top first, then the orange one, and 
last the green, allowing them all to 
whirl around together and not dis- 
turbing them in any way until the 
last one to cease spinning falls. The 
top which keeps up for the longest 
time scores the first point. When 
the first round is finished set the tops twirling again, com- 
mencing with the orange one and taking the red one last. 
Mark down the score of the winning top and give them all 
a third and last trial, leading with the green top and bring- 
ing in the orange last. The top which gains the greatest 



Fig. 268. 



134 What a Girl Can Make 

number of point wins the game. Should each top gain a 
point, the game would be a " tie," and necessitate the play- 
ing of it all over again. 

In case two friends would like to join in the sport, 
the game may be changed. Let each, with closed eyes, 
select a top, leaving one for the hostess. At a given 
signal have all the tops spin at once. The top which stands 
up longest wins the first point, and the greatest number of 
points the game. Allow two rounds, making six points to 
each three-handed game. 




CHAPTER XI 

HOME-MADE PYROTECHNICS 

F YOU would like some bright, lively fire- 
works, the kind you can manufacture at 
home, make them the day before the cele- 
bration, and there will be no necessity of 
waiting all the long hours until dark be- 
fore seeing the sparks fly. Begin the fun 
early the next morning, and fire off these 
queer fireworks the entire day. The 

Three-story Red, White, and Blue Pin-wheel 

is very satisfactory, affording three times the enjoyment of 
a simple one-story affair. Fold a three-inch square of stiff 
red paper diagonally across from corner 
to corner, making two folds, which cross 
at the centre of the paper. Unfold and 
cut the square along the folds almost to 
the centre (Fig. 269) ; then pierce the 
alternating corner flaps with a long, 
stiff hat-pin, allowing each point thread- 
ed on the pin to remain there ; run the 
pin through the centre of the paper 
(Fig. 270) and shove the red pin-wheel up close to the large 
round head of the hat-pin. Push a small cork on also, to 
prevent the pin-wheel from slipping. Work up another 

135 




Fig. 269. 



136 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 270. 



cork on the pin, about an inch or so below the first one ; 

then make a larger pin-wheel of white paper and slide it on 
the same hat-pin, holding it in place with 
a third cork. Cut the last pin-wheel still 
larger and make it of blue paper. Shove 
up a fourth cork on the pin, and below, 
against it, thread on the blue pin-wheel. 
No cork will be required under the last 
pin-wheel; the hat-pin being now pushed 
firmly into the 
end of a stick, 

the blue pin -wheel cannot 

slide out of place (Fig. 271). 

When ready, run with the toy, 

or whirl rapidly around, hold- 
ing it in your hand, and see 

how beautifully the three parts 

spin, the whole appearing like 

a whirling red, white, and blue 

pyramid. 
Another 

Pin-wheel in Your Hands 

has a button as a foundation. 
Take a large cup and trace two 
circles on yellow paper measur- 
ing three and a half inches in 
diameter; make two smaller 
circles of red paper, two still 
smaller of green paper, two 
others — decreasing in size — of •e-*? 1 - 

yellow paper, and the two smallest circles of blue paper 
(Fig. 272). Separate the disks into two groups exactly 








Home-made Pyrotechnics 137 

alike ; then fasten each of the two sets of disks together by 
placing one over another ; they will form two vari-colored 
disks, each a duplication of the other. Select a large button 
and place it between two vari-colored disks. Be sure to have 
it in the centre ; then with 
a large pin or needle punch 
two holes through the disks, 
covering the corresponding 
opposite holes in the button, 
a string through the two holes and tie 
the ends together (Fig. 273) ; join the 
edges of the two disks and the pin- 
wheel will be ready for action. Place 
the first two fingers of the right hand 

Oin one loop, and of the left hand in the F >g- 2 73- 
other ; give the string a twirl and pull the hands 
apart. The motion causes the string to twist, 
allowing the hands to come nearer together; 
another outward motion of the hands and the 

Fig. 272. 

pin-wheel will revolve rapidly in another direc- 
tion. By alternately bringing the hands together and pull- 
ing them apart, the pin-wheel can be kept spinning as long 
as you like. In making the pin-wheel, the paper may be 
either pasted or sewed ; it is firmer when pasted. 

Pin-wheels on the Fence 

are fiery, sparkling, and larger than the hand pin-wheels 
Find a large-sized empty spool (Fig. 274) for a foundation ; 
then cut a circular pasteboard disk four inches in diameter 
for the back of the pin-wheel (Fig. 275). Make blue fire of 
strips of fringed-out bright-blue paper (Fig. 276) and paste 
them across each other on the disk (Fig. 277). Cut a square 



o 



138 



What a Girl Can Make 



of yellow paper fringed around the edges for the yellow fire 

and fasten it over the blue fire. Make red fire of a circle of 
fringed red paper (Fig. 278) a trifle 

^Lf=^ smaller than the yellow, that the 
yellow fire may be seen surround- 
ing the red and the blue stand out 
beyond the yellow. Each succeed- 
ing layer of fire must be smaller, 
though not necessarily of the same 

shape as the last. The uneven, straggling ends add to the 

effect when the pin-wheel is in motion. Let the last two 

papers be white and green 

and on the top fasten irreg- 



Fig. 274. 




Fig. 275. 



Fig. 276. 



ular lengths of the thread- 
like tinsel left from your 
Christmas-tree decorations. 
Do not bunch it too much ; 
have the tinsel string out 

long in various directions, so it will look like dropping 
flying sparks when you fire off the pin-wheel. If you have 

no tinsel, finely cut stands 
of gold-paper may take its 
place. Paste the back of 
the pin-wheel securely on 
one end of the empty 
spool. When finished it 
should resemble Fig. 279. 
Select a strong wire nail 
and push it through a 
small disk of inked paste- 
board (Fig. 280) ; bring the 
pasteboard up close to the 
Fig. 277. head of the nail, then 



Home-made Pyrotechnics 



139 



pierce the pin-wheel in the centre and run the nail through 
both wheel and spool. The little black card-board prevents 
the pin-wheel from 
slipping off the nail. 
After the paste or glue 
has dried, hammer the 
nail which is in the pin- 
wheel upon the fence 
and set the firework 





Fig. 278. 



Fig. 279. 



off by means of a 
strong string placed 
over the spool with 
the ends crossed (Fig. 
281). By holding the 
two ends of the 
string, one in each 
hand, and rapidly 
pulling first one, then 
the other, the pin- 
wheel will revolve so 
fast that it might be 
mistaken for one of actual fire, but unlike 
the real one there is no likelihood of the 
paper wheel turning black and falling to 




Fig. 280. 




140 



What a Girl Can Make 




Yours will spin as long and as often as you like, losing 
none of its brilliancy (Fig. 282). 

The Sparkling Calumet 

is fascinating. Its bright sparks fly up and out in every di- 
rection all over your head, hair, and clothing, but they do 

no harm. Take a 
strip of stiff paper 
three and a half 
inches wide and 
eleven inches 
long ; cut a hole 
fi ? . 283. in one end (Fig. 




Home-made Pyrotechnics 



141 




3 



283) and paste 
the two length- 
wise edges to- Flg - 284- 
gether, forming a hollow tube ; then pin up the open end 
nearest the hole (Fig. 284)- Cut Fig. 285, making it about 
four inches across at the wid- 
est point ; slash the lower 







Fig. 385. 

edge and pin this pipe-bowl 

in funnel shape by bringing 
the two sides to- 
gether (Fig. 286); 
fasten it on the tube 
over the hole in 
the top by gluing 
the flaps down on 

the pipe-stem (Fig. 
Fig. 2 86. 2S? y Half . fiU the 

pipe-bowl with brilliantly col- 
ored bits of paper, including 

scraps of gold and silver tinsel cut 
very small. In this way pieces 
too little for anything else can be 

util- 






Fig. 287. 



ized. Fig. 288. 
Make a good sup- 
ply so that you 



142 What a Girl Can Make 

may fire off the calumet many times. Place the open end 
of the tube to your lips and blow (Fig. 288). 

It will not take more than five minutes to make the 

Roman Candle 

Cut a piece of paper about ten inches long and seven 

inches wide, roll it up and slip a small elastic over the roll 

to hold the Roman 

j] ) candle in shape ; 

: — M- . — _ / carefully fold in one 

end of the roll (Fig. 
289) ; then collect all of the scraps of bright-colored paper 
and bits of tinsel for sparks (Fig. 290). 
When the sparks are ready load the 
candle by filling it with them. Hold 
the candle in one hand and gayly swing 
it around like a real Roman candle. In 
what a dazzling circle the bright paper 
sparks fly ! No matter if they do scat- Fi e- 2 9°- 

ter all around, they may be gathered up and used again. 

If you can find a side-steel taken from a dress-stay, use 
it for a 

Snap-fire 
( \ Bend the ( 

Fig. 291- enc *s to- Fig 2g2 

g ether 
until it breaks at the centre (Fig. 291). On 
the broken end of one piece paste two gay 
tissue-paper streamers (Fig. 292). To fire it, 
hold the firework in an upright position, 
streamers downward, the papered end between 
the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and 











Home-made Pyrotechnics 



H3 




the upper end held with the thumb and 
forefinger of the right hand. Bend the 
snap-fire as in Fig. 293. Let go suddenly 
with the right hand, then an instant 
later with the left, and 
see the firework spring 
up high in the air, carry- 
ing its gay trimmings 
with it. 

Just wait until you 
make the 

Rushing Comet 

and send it flying through the air, with its long tail sweep- 
ing out behind. How heartily you will laugh when it 
strikes its round head ^g&fe^. against some object 
which drives it flying -^B'M backward. 

A rubber ball about (K^|||H| three inches in diam- 
eter will make a good ^^^3K comet's head (Fig. 294). 

Cut two strips of ^f^g/^ bright red tissue-pa- 
per, each four inches Fi e- w- wide, the entire length 
of the sheet, and paste the two pieces together, forming a 
long paper ribbon (Fig. 295) ; fold this once near the centre 



Fig. 295. 



Fig. 296. 



(Fig. 296) ; fold again, bringing the lower folded end up to 
the first end (Fig. 297), then cut the paper in a fringe, mak- 
ing the strands half an inch wide ; begin at the folded end 
and cut through all the layers up to the single layer of 
paper (Fig. 298). Unfold and you will have Fig. 299. 



144 



What a Girl Can Make 



Fasten this 
In the same 



d 



Fig. 297. 







tail on the ball with strong paste (Fig. 300). 
manner cut another long fringe of bright-blue 
tissue-paper ; fasten it on the 
ball partly beyond and partly | 
overlapping the red paper, t— 
Make a third fringe of orange- Flg ' 2 

colored tissue-paper, and glue that also on the comet's head. 
Gather up the tail carefully so it will not tangle and set 

the ball aside until it 
is perfectly dry ; then 
run out in the sun- 
Fig. 399. shine with the comet 
in your arms and throw it up as far 
as you can toward the blue sky. The 
comet will look gor- 
geous sailing through Fig.300. 
the air. When it comes down, take the 
ball up again and throw it as far in front 
of you as possible. Away it will speed 
with a flutter and a dash, a long, brilliant 
streak of color (Fig. 301). The tail of the 
comet can be made longer by using three 
instead of two lengths of the paper. 
Now we will make 



The Pistol 

of any firm, strong, hollow cylinder. A 
slender pasteboard mailing tube, or a stick 
of bamboo, or a section of some shrub 
from which you can push the pith, leaving 
a hollow case, will answer the purpose. 
Have the hollow stick about eight inches 



Fig. 3 01 - 



Home-made Pyrotechnics 



H5 



long, and for a ramrod cut a smooth, round stick an inch 
or two longer. Be sure that the ramrod slides easily 



c 



D 



through the 
tube while 
fitting snug- 
Get a large 



Fig. 302. 

ly. Fig. 302 shows the ramrod in the pistol. 

raw potato and cut off several thick slices to use for bullets. 

Punch a slice with one end of the pistol, 

then with the other, leaving the potato 

bullets in it exactly as they came from 

the slice. When you are ready to fire, 

place the ramrod against the 

bullet in one end of the pistol 

and suddenly push 

the ramrod with 

^UTT^J tube, sending the 

and as it leaves the 

Fig. 303 shows the potato 

Should you 




Fig. 303. 




force through the 
first bullet flying, 
pistol a loud report will follow, 
slice and the bullets which have been used, 
be able to find corks which exactly fit the pistol you could 
use them instead of potato. Fasten each cork to the end 
of a string and tie the string firmly around the centre of 
the pistol. Remember that the success of the pistol de- 
pends upon keeping the air bottled up tight in the tube by 
having the bullets fit tight. If the air is allowed to escape, 
no report will be heard ; the bullets will not pop. But 
never fear; you will be able to make the pistol; have confi- 
dence, patience, and care, and your work will turn out well. 

Sky-rockets 

are one of the best kind of fireworks and furnish lots of 
fun. We will make some and send them flying through 
the air. 



10 



146 



What a Girl Can Make 



Cut strips of paper 
and two inches wide, 
inches on one side 
at the unfringed end, 
lamplighters (Fig. 305), 
top end to keep it in 
These are the sky- 
made of stiff, bright- 
be of any kind except 
Make a number of sky- 
off " by the aid of 




== spool with a piece 
E=E loosely over one 
^= curely (Fig. 307). 
rocket at a time 
in the spool, 
and, grasping the 
tic (Fig. 308), pull 
ward you and let 
would send an ar- 
There is another 



eighteen inches long 
fringing them seven 
(Fig. 304). Commence 
B, and roll them like 
folding each over at 
place (Fig. 306, C). 
rockets, and are best 
colored paper, but may 
very limber paper, 
rockets and "fire them 

a large, empty 

of elastic adjusted 

end, but tied se- 

Place one sky- 
through the hole 

fringed end out, 

tip end in the elas- 

the sky-rocket to- 

it fly back as you 

row from a bow. 

paper sky-rocket 



which rivals a real lff ' 3 °'one in brilliancy, 
and is much easier to fire. Make the 
rocket of a hollow stick — a bamboo han- 



dle from a Jap- 
parasol, or an. 
flower stalk 
cut the stick 
inches long, 
tie on firmly a 

band (Fig. 309). The 

should be strong and 

twelve inches in length. Fig. 307 



Fig- 3°4- 





anese fan or 
old dried sun- 
will do — and 
about seven 
Near one end 
stout rubber 
stick of the sky-rocket 
slender and about 
Have it small enough 



Fig. 305- 



Home-made Pyrotechnics 



HI 



in diameter to slide 
easily through the 
sunflower stalk. 
Fasten many gay- 
colored streamers of 
tissue-paper on one 
end, making them 




Fig. 310. 

fully a yard in length. When 
all is ready, place the stick with 
streamers uppermost in the tube, 
draw back the rubber band with 
the stick (Fig. 310), and fire (Fig. 
311). The sky-rocket goes swift- 
ly through the air, carrying a 




Fig. 3«- 



Fig. 308. 

stream of paper fire in its wake. As with the real fire- 
works you must be careful not to aim any of these in a 
direction where they will strike anyone. 



CHAPTER XII 

MONOTYPES 

k HEY are charming, these mono- 
types ; charming in effect 
when finished, delightful 
in their accidental re- 
sults, and wholly fasci- 
nating in the method, or 
lack of method, used in 
their production. Paint- 
ed with a bristle brush, 
a camel's -hair brush, a 
sponge, a rag or your 
thumb, as the case may 
require ; painted on glass and then printed on paper, with 
a clothes-wringer for a printing-press ; can anything be 
more enchantingly unconventional? Yet the finished mon- 
otypes are truly artistic and beautiful. If you can paint at 
all, be it ever so little, you can make some kind of a mono- 
type, and you will always have the feeling that you can do 
better next time. The 

Materials 

for your work are a piece of glass about six inches square, 
a tube of lamp-black oil-paint, some sewing-machine oil, and 
a pad of unruled writing-paper. 

See that your glass is perfectly clean and free from dust, 
squeeze out some of the black paint in a saucer and mix it 

148 




Monotypes 149 

with a few drops of the machine oil. You will soon learn 
the consistency required, for if you make the paint too thin 
it will run and blot, and if there is not enough oil it will go 
on too thickly and smudge in printing. 

The Painting 

Choose a photograph or print for your copy which is 
simple in effect — that is, one which shows a good deal of sky 
and broad stretches of light and shade. It may be either 
landscape or marine, but, until you have had some experience 
with the work, avoid figure pieces, and architecture. When 
you have learned the process be as original as you like, but 
keep to your copy at first ; you will never make an exact 
reproduction. Use whatever kind of a paint-brush seems 
best fitted, and work rapidly that the paint may not dry. 
A fine soft sponge will give excellent foliage effects ; this 
should be dipped in the paint and simply dabbed on the 
glass. A clean cotton rag will take off extra paint and is 
especially useful where water is represented in the picture. 
By dragging the rag or sponge over a surface too thickly 
painted you can loosen it and give the appearance of grass 
and shrubbery, or of a roadway. Soft clouds can be made 
by putting the cloth over the end of your finger and rub- 
bing on the glass with a circular movement, using but little 
paint ; for an ordinary sky make horizontal strokes with 
the rag, keeping the tint as flat as possible. If you place a 
piece of white paper under the glass the work will be easier, 
for you will appear to be painting on a white surface and 
the transparency of the glass will not trouble you. 

If you have ever painted 

Heads, 

sooner or later you will long to try one with this process. 
A woman's head with flowing, wind-blown hair seems 



150 What a Girl Can Make 

especially adapted to the work. A bristle brush and the 
ever-useful rag will spin the hair out, and toss it about in 
decorative masses. For the face you will need a small pad 
made of soft silk, or muslin, and raw cotton — indeed, sev- 
eral pads will be found useful. Cut the silk into a four-inch 
square, place in the centre a wad of raw cotton about the 
size of a hickory nut, and, drawing- the silk smoothly over 
the cotton at the bottom, bring it together at the top ; wrap 
with thread close to the cotton and tie securely. 

Draw the outlines of the face lightly with a fine camel's- 
hair brush, and lay in the shadows broadly with a large 
brush ; then take your pad and go over the shadows, stip- 
pling them with little dabs until they are smooth and free 
from brush strokes. When it is necessary to deepen a 
shadow add more paint with the pad. 

Do not put in the features with hard lines, let the face 
be modelled with light and shade, making deeper accents 
where more sharpness is required. The definite strokes 
about the eyes, the nostrils, and the line between the lips 
can be made with a brush without hardness. Hard lines 
never look well in a monotype ; they stand out harshly from 
the general softness of the effect, and appear unpleasantly 
out of place. 

The Printing 

When your painting is finished, slightly dampen a piece 
of paper by passing a wet sponge across one side, lay the 
dampened side carefully on the glass next to the paint, and 
then pass both through the clothes-wringer. Remember to 
hold the glass as it comes through that it may not fall and 
break. Lift your paper off lightly and quickly, without 
dragging, and you have the completed monotype, like, and 
yet unlike, the picture you painted. In the first place, the 




Study of a Head. 

Printed on Imported B lotting-paper. 




Study of a Head. 

Printed on Imported Blotting-paper. 



Monotypes 151 

design is reversed, and then there are often beautiful effects 
which your brush could never have produced. If the 
painting on the glass still holds, try another print, and even 
a third ; the first are not always the best. 

When no more impressions can be taken, wipe the paint 
from the glass with a cloth and begin another picture. 

Monotone Monotypes 

A very pretty experiment is to use color instead of black 
and make a monotone of your monotype. Sepia will give 
the picture in soft brown, Indian red in bright red, while 
Antwerp blue produces the tone of blue found in a blue- 
print photograph. Of course oil colors alone must be used, 
water colors will not print. 

Another Field for Experiment 

lies in using several colors in one picture. For instance, 
you might make your mountains blue, your trees green, and 
your foreground red and yellow. 

Then again mixing the colors and using them as if paint- 
ing on canvas will prove interesting. The deepest pleas- 
ure in all work of this kind is to experiment and discover 
methods for ourselves, then to work out and perfect these 
methods and make them all our own. 

There are various 

Papers 

suitable for monotype painting. Rice-paper is especially 
pleasing; it is soft of texture, light of weight, and has a 
warm, creamy tone. The monotypes printed upon it are 
delicate, clear, and distinct. Imported blotting-paper also 
produces satisfactory results, though the print is not quite 






■*, 








•S 




*m 


















m 


^ 





^ 


U 


'J3 



CHAPTER XIII 



PRISCILLA RUGS 



THERE is no limit to the 
beautiful effects which may be 
produced by the well-chosen 
color combination in the Pris- 
cilla rag rugs, and anyone who 
has an eye for color (which, 
by the way, may be cultivat- 
ed) is sure of success. 

There are many new in- 
ventions in hand-looms, yet 
the old cumbersome loom of 
our grandmother's day is still 
to be found in the outlying 
y/""W, v^ districts of most towns and 

/ \J\-4? cities, and the weaving done on this is fully 
as satisfactory as that on the new looms. Al- 
most every village has its rag-carpet weaver, and on his 
old-fashioned machine can be woven all that we want in 
this line. 

First, there are the all-wool rugs for general use in the 
house, then mixed wool and cotton rugs for the piazza, all 
cotton for bedroom and bathroom, mixed cotton and silk 
and entire silk for portieres and couch-covers, and for covers 
for sofa-pillows. 

153 




154 What a Girl Can Make 

There are also rugs of heavy cotton, such as denim in 
its dull reds, blues, yellows, greens, and browns. 

The size of a rug for general use is usually one yard 
wide by two yards long, the yard width being the limit of 
the ordinary loom. Smaller rugs are woven in different 
proportions : a runner for the hall is three-quarters of a yard 
wide and of any required length, and door-mats half a yard 
wide by one yard long. Squares for the centre of the room 
can be made by having two breadths woven exactly alike 
and then sewing them together. 

You who possess a loom of even the clumsiest design 
have a field open before you full of interest, for freedom to 
experiment in pattern and manner of weaving will lead to 
continually new results and there will be increasing orig- 
nality and beauty in your productions. 

Color Schemes for Rugs 

Collect all your available material, plan your combina- 
tion of colors, and then decide whether it will be necessary 
to put some of the rags into the dye-pot. If you have a 
handsome vase in your room it is a pretty idea to take that 
for your keynote and reproduce its color in your rugs. 

Solid colors are the best unless you wish to have part of 
your rug what is called "hit or miss" For "hit or miss" 
any short pieces may be used and sewed together indis- 
criminately ; then again, if you have a good deal of checked, 
plaid, or mingled material, it may be used by itself for 
centre or border. It is upon the solid colors, however, that 
you must principally rely, as there is less of the element of 
chance in their use, and your calculation as to the result of 
your color combination will be surer. 

A favorite design is a " hit or miss," or a solid-colored 




Making a Priscilla Rug. 



Priscilla Rugs 155 



centre with striped ends. A more unconventional effect is 
produced by making the rug in stripes of unequal width 
and in daring color combinations ; some of these latter are 
startlingly barbaric and artistic in appearance and are well 
adapted to studio use. Again, more harmonious effects are 
produced by using various tints and shades of one color. 
Very narrow stripes of black and of white often separate 
wide stripes of different colors, sometimes singly, some- 
times together, and when used with discretion they give a 
certain decision and finish to the whole. You will naturally 
want to exercise your own taste and originality in designing 
your rugs, so a description of one all-wool rug will be am- 
ply sufficient as a guide. 

This rug is one yard wide by two yards long. The 
centre is exactly one yard square and is of solid dark cardinal 
red. The two ends are precisely the same and the stripes 
of the border follow each other in this order : Next the 
centre comes a very narrow stripe of old gold, then one of 
the same width of white. These are made by putting the 
strips of color only once through the loom, or once across. 
After these comes a five-inch stripe of old blue, again the 
narrow yellow and white stripes followed by a two-inch 
stripe of moss green, a three-inch stripe of dull light blue, 
a five-inch stripe of light brown, a two-inch stripe of old 
blue, and next the fringe a one-inch stripe of dark cardinal 
red. The fringe is simply the warp allowed to extend 
beyond the rug about a quarter of a yard at each end. 

Gray is a useful color in all-wool rugs and makes an 
effective centre for a bright-colored border. 

The Fire Rug 

is a beautiful blending of reds and yellows giving a flame 
color. The ends are dark red, and, by degrees, the red runs 



156 



JVhat a Girl Can Make 






into orange, which, in turn, melts into dark yellow, growing 
gradually lighter until the centre of the rug is a pale, soft 

yellow. 




3j oncA. dttfxt. 



t iaacA- maaJxl 



lot UVlcA. MMyfiZ 






Pale tones of yel- 
lows and greens are 
sometimes com- 
bined, also yellows 
and browns. 

Before taking 
your rug to the 
loom tack on a piece 
of paper samples of 
the rags used in the 
order in which you 
wish them woven, 
and write opposite 
each sample the 
width the stripe is 
to be made, as 
shown in diagram. 
Give this to the 
weaver that no mis- 



Tack on a Piece of Paper Samples of the Rags Used 

takes may be made by him in the placing of the colors 



The Weight 

To calculate how much you will need of each color, re- 
member that it requires about two pounds of woollen rags 
to the yard ; therefore, if you want half a yard of one color, 
one pound will be required ; for a quarter of a yard, one-half 
pound. Do not make your calculations too closely, with a 
little over-weight in each case no harm is done and it is 
better than falling short of the required amount. The nar- 






Priscilla Rugs 157 



row, or once-across, stripes require an inch or two over the 
yard for each stripe. 

How to Cut and Sew the Rags 

Cut your rags in strips one-half an inch wide unless the 
material is very thin or loosely woven, in which case make 
them wider ; very heavy cloth should be even narrower than 
the half-inch. Cotton rags should be one 
inch wide. As the rags are pinched 
together when woven it is the 
thickness that counts, and the 
object is to keep them of 
an even bulk so that 
the rug may not have 
an uneven, lumpy sur- 
face. Perhaps you 
will be told by the 

weaver not to sew / / o» +i * »i 

4. / / OewThe pieces Tooed her 

your rags too se- / ._ ! 

curely, for they 

cannot be jerked 

apart readily when it is necessary to break off one color 

to begin weaving the next ; but do not act on such advice. 

You must sew the strips together with care so that the ends 

may not stand out and give a ragged look to the finished 

rug. The accompanying diagram shows the best manner of 

joining the pieces. You see that one piece is laid over the 

end of the other, then both are folded lengthwise and sewed 

securely in the fold. This gives smooth joints and an even 

surface. 

Wind your different colors into balls, having, as a rule, 

one pound in each, and put them in a bag to send to the 

loom. 




mtliis wa> 



158 What a Girl Can Make 

Cotton and Wool Rugs 

For piazza rugs, or for summer cottage use, cotton may 
be mixed with the wool ; indeed, some hold that it is unnec- 
essary to have all-wool for any purpose, though the writer 
thinks differently. The temptation is great, however, to 
use the pretty bits of gingham and lawn left from summer 
gowns, and they do give a certain, if not lasting, brilliancy 
to the rug. That much of the cotton is apt to fade and 
grow shiny with use is of little consequence when the rugs 
are not subjected to hard and constant use. Rugs of this 
class should be as bright and gay as possible ; the combina- 
tion of even the crudest colors looks well on a vine-shaded 
piazza and in the gayly decked summer cottage. 

All-cotton Rugs 

For bedroom and bathroom all-cotton rugs are exceed- 
ingly pretty and appropriate, and when they are made of 




The Centre may have Dashes of Color through it. 

fast-colored material they may be washed with ease and 
kept always fresh and clean. 

White should predominate in these washable rugs, and 
the best as well as the simplest effect is produced by com- 




In Stripes of Unequal Width. 



Priscilla Rugs 159 



birring it with but one other color. Indigo blue and turkey 
red are safe and useful colors ; brown and green gingham 
also look well with the white. Of cotton rags allow one 
and one-half pounds to the yard. When you are in doubt 
as to the permanency of your colors soak the rug, before 
washing, in a strong solution of salt and water ; this will 
" set " almost any color. These cotton rugs may be woven 
in alternate strips of color and white, or the white be used 
for the centre and the colors for the border, or the centre 
may have dashes of color through it as shown in diagram. 

Bathroom rugs can be entirely of white or, towel- 
fashion, have a narrow colored strip at each end. Any 
white cotton may be used in these bathroom rugs, old be- 
ing better for this purpose than new, as it is much softer. 

Warps and Fringe 

Gray linen is undoubtedly the best-wearing warp and 
harmonizes with all colors, therefore for all-wool rugs it is 
the best. It gives, of course, a gray fringe, but that is not 
undesirable. When a colored fringe is wanted the cotton 
warp will have to be used. This comes in red, blue, purple, 
yellow, and white. Use cotton warp for cotton rugs, and 
where the filling is largely white the warp should be white 
also. When red warp is used with white filling a pink tone 
is the result, while blue and purple with white filling pro- 
duce a gray effect. 

At each end of the rug the warp should be woven with 
self-filling to the depth of one inch. This makes a heading 
for the fringe and prevents the rag filling from ravelling. 
It is, in fact, a selvage. You may knot the fringe, using six 
strands to a knot, or plat it and then knot as in diagram, or 
it may be stitched at the top and left to flow freely. 



i6o 



JVhat a Girl Can Make 



Dyeing the Cloth 

Those who make a business of manufacturing rag 
rugs scorn to use the dyes that come ready prepared 

and think it well worth the extra 
trouble to make their dyes them- 
selves. So it is, 
perhaps, when one 
has plenty of time 
to devote to the 
work, but a girl's 
life is so full of in- 
terests and occu- 
pation she gener- 
ally chooses quick 
methods, though 
the results may 
not always be as 
lasting. 

In case your heart yearns toward the old-fashioned 
process and you want to go into the work thoroughly, read 
the recipes given here and follow them carefully. They are 
taken from an old manuscript recipe-book, yellow with age 
and worn by use, which has descended to the writer from an 
ancestress famous for her good housekeeping and house- 
wifely arts. The dye appears to have been prepared in 
large quantities, usually enough for sixteen pounds of wool, 
but you can easily regulate the proportion of the ingredi- 
ents and make as much or as little as you want. 

Wool Dyes 

Navy Blue. — " Boil in a sufficient quantity of water twelve 
ounces of copperas, three ounces of alum, one and one-half 




You may Knot the Fringe or Plat it and Knot it. 



Priscilla Rugs 161 



ounces of verdigris, one and one-half ounces of cream-tartar. 
Run * your cloth in it for four hours, then air. Empty out 
that liquor and fill up with clear water; add four and one- 
half pounds of logwood, boil it for one hour and a half, 
then add six ounces of madder and boil for half an hour, 
then run your cloth for half an hour. Air it (the cloth), 
then add six ounces of blue vitriol and three ounces of 
pearl-ash. Mix it well and run your cloth in it for twenty 
minutes, then air and rinse it. 

Silver Gray. — " On one pound of woollen : Take two ounces 
of sumac and three ounces of logwood and boil for one hour 
in four gallons of water, then add one-half ounce of cream- 
tartar. Put in your woollen for one hour, then take out and 
air. Refresh your dye with water and add one-half ounce 
of copperas, bring it to a boil and run your woollen for half 
an hour, then air, rinse, and dry it. 

Yellow. — " On woollen for one pound : Dissolve in four 
gallons of boiling water three ounces of alum and one 
ounce of cream-tartar, then run your cloth for one hour 
and a half at boiling heat. Take out, cool, and rinse, 
then boil one pound of fustic chips for five hours, run 
your cloth, while boiling, for one hour, then cool, rinse, 
and dry it. 

Madder Red. — " On one pound of woollen : Boil five gallons 
of water in a kettle, add three ounces of powdered alum and 
one ounce of cream-tartar, then run your woollen in it for 
two hours, rinse and air it. Put five gallons of fresh water 
in a kettle, add eight ounces of madder, mix it well and 
bring it to the boil, then run your woollen for one hour, but 
it must boil only five minutes. Take it out, air and rinse it. 
Add to the dye one-half pint of clear lime-water, then run 

*To "run" means to leave the cloth in the dye, moving and stirring it about 
occasionally that the dye may be evenly distributed. 
II 



1 62 What a Girl Can Make 

your woollen for ten minutes, then take it out and rinse it 
immediately. 

Cotton Dyes 

Brown. — " On cotton for five pounds : Bring eight gallons of 
water to the boil and add four ounces of pearl-ash, dip your 
yarn (or cloth) for half an hour and then wring out. Take 
twenty gallons of water and one bushel of maple or white- 
oak bark, boil it two hours, then take out the bark and strain 
the liquor and add one pound of copperas ; stir it until it is 
dissolved and let your liquor cool to lukewarm. Dip your 
yarn for five minutes, wring and air it ; dip again for fifteen 
minutes, wring and dip again until you have it dark 
enough. 

Purple. — " On cotton for two pounds : Boil four ounces of 
sumac in four gallons of water, then dip your yarn for half 
an hour ; wring, air, and put it in again over night, then take 
out and wring. Boil in seven gallons of water one pound 
four ounces of logwood for one hour ; take three gallons of 
the logwood liquor and dip your yarn in it for twenty 
minutes, then add three quarts of the logwood liquor and 
dip for twenty minutes, then put in the remainder and dip 
for twenty minutes, then wring out and dry your yarn." 

The wringing process given in the last two recipes is 
for cotton yarn ; cotton cloth or woollen cloth should never 
be wrung out ; simply lift it from the dye with two sticks, 
immerse it in clear cold water, if you are to rinse it, then 
hang it up and let it drip. All material must be perfectly 
clean and thoroughly soaked before being put in the dye. 
Note. — " In boiling, all drugs and barks that will not dissolve 
ought to be put in a thin, coarse bag and taken out before 
you dip, and the liquor should be settled. Dip only in 
clear liquor." 



CHAPTER XIV 
A PEANUT NOAH'S ARK 

HANGING one thing into another is 
always interesting, and the most charm- 
ing part of a Peanut Noah's Ark is that 
you can transform these ground- 
nuts into any and every kind of 
wild creature. At your command 
they will come trooping from all 
parts of the tangled jungle, the ele- 
phants leading and tigers, lions, 
bears, wolves, kangaroos, giraffes, 
and others following. Ever so 
many insects, too — the curious pea- 
nut spider, actually as large as one of those mammoth 
Southern tarantulas which often travel North on bunches 
of bananas, and the enormous hard-shelled hornet, whose 
sting will not hurt half as badly as its smaller cousins who 
are alive and whose nests are large and round, dark gray in 
color and appear as if made of paper. In addition to these 
you can have beetles of different kinds, grasshoppers, and 
various sorts of moths. 

With the help of bits of paper and some wooden tooth- 
picks the ground-nuts may be transformed into 

163 




164 



What a Girl Can Make 



Denizens of Earth, Air, and Water. 

First we will catch the terrible hornet, but to get him you 
must select a peanut as near like Fig. 312 as you can find. 
This is for the thorax or chest; choose a longer nut, resem- 
bling Fig. 313, for the abdomen or body. Take six com- 




60PY & STlNfe. 



mon wooden toothpicks for the legs (Fig. 314), and bend 
each stick until it fractures near the centre without break- 
ing (Fig. 315). For the waist use a short piece of tooth- 
pick (Fig. 316). For the sting take a pin (Fig. 317). To in- 
sert the sting in the body make a small hole on the lower 
side and thrust in the pin so that the point will project from 



A Peanut Noahs Ark 165 

the tail ; push the head of the pin into the nut until it is 
out of sight, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 317, 2 A. This 
diagram gives the point of the pin as it stands out from the 
nut. Join the chest and body by thrusting one end of Fig. 
316 into Fig. 312 and the other end into Fig. 313, leaving 
a small length of Fig. 316 exposed to represent the slender 
waist of the hornet, as shown in Fig. 318. This done, put 
three legs on each side of the insect by forcing the tooth- 
picks into the thorax or chest peanut (Fig. 318). 

Now we have a huge ant, and as ants are practically 
wingless hornets, some of them even having stings like the 
bee tribe, it is only necessary to add a pair of wings to com- 
plete the terrible peanut hornet. If you have any tracing- 
paper or the waxed paper from a candy-box, the semi-trans- 
parent material will form wonderfully natural wings ; but 
any kind of paper will make 

A Pair of Good Wings. 

With a pencil draw the pattern (Fig. 319) upon a bit of 
paper, fold at the dotted line and you will have Fig. 320. 
With the scissors cut around the outline through both 
leaves of the folded paper; the result will be Fig. 321, the 
two wings joined together. Paste them on the back of the 
thorax, and you will have Fig. 322. To make it look still 
more lifelike, ink stripes across its back and head, and stick 
in the front of the head two fine, small black pins for the 
antenna?. To prove that this is a live hornet, let anyone 
who doubts the fact press the end of his finger on the point 
of the sting and he will be satisfied. Should he still claim 
that the thing is not alive, dip your finger in a glass of water 
and allow a drop of the fluid to fall on each joint of the legs 
where the wood is fractured ; the swelling of the wet wood 



1 66 



What a Girl Can Make 



will cause the legs to move in a manner sufficiently lifelike 
to satisfy the most critical. 

It is not commonly known that 




Spiders Are Good to Eat, 

but the newly discovered specimen known as the Pcannticus 
spiderenctis is one which the most dainty little girl may eat 
without feeling at all nervous as to consequences. Spiders 

Fig. 325. differ in many re- 

Fig. 323. /P**^ spects from true 

VtfbOMe*. \ \ ^"^ insects, but we 

need only ob- 
serve the most 
obvious points of 
divergence. 

First, they have 
no waist ; that is, 
their body is jam- 
med upon their 
thorax (Fig. 323). 
Next, their heads 
are driven into 
their shoulders, 
so to speak, so that they not only have no neck, but there is 
not even a line to indicate where the head ends and the 
thorax or chest begins. 

From the quart of peanuts select one which looks most 
like Fig. 323. Spiders have more legs than beetles or wasps. 
Garden spiders have eight well-defined legs, and our Pea- 
nuticus belongs to the garden spider family. Therefore, take 
eight toothpicks and, bending them as before described, make 
eight legs. Push two legs into each side of the large part 




Fig. 324- 



Soft Clouds. 
Can be made with a cloth on the end of your finger. 






-•:- 




Foliage Effect. 
Made with a sponge. 



A Peanut Noahs Ark 167 

of the nut — the abdomen — inclining them backward, and two 
more into each side of the small part of the nut — the thorax 
— slanting- them forward, as in Fig. 324. Make the antennas 
of two black pins, bent according to Fig. 325 ; push the 
pins well into the head of the spider (Fig. 324). If you 
thread a fine piece of black elastic through the spider's 
back, allowing a length of about a half yard, and weight the 
body by fastening a little flattened piece of lead or a small 
stone on the under part with melted sealing-wax, the Pea- 
nut 'icus can be made to dance up and down in the air like a 
natural spider running on its web. The black elastic will 
not be noticeable. Tie the end of the elastic on a stick ; 
then you can hold it out from you and have a better view 
of the curious creature. 

Pick up another peanut and see what it suggests. 
Imagine it with long ears. What would it look like ? 

A Rabbit, of Course. 

Cut two ears from white paper and a tail from the same 
paper ; paste one ear on each side of Bunny's head and 
fasten the little stumpy tail in place. Then stick two short 
pieces of toothpicks in the nut for the front legs ; bend the 
back legs at the centre and push the upright part into po- 
sition so that the lower horizontal portion will be bent 
forward and rest on the ground. Ink round spots for eyes 
and a line partially across the front for the mouth. 

Camels 

are curious creatures, always carrying a little mountain 
on their backs, and chewing as if they had an inexhaustible 
supply of chewing-gum tucked away in some invisible 
pocket. Think of the mountain's back when selecting a 



1 68 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 326. 




Fig. 327. 



peanut for this animal and find one with a high hump. 
Cut the head and neck (Fig. 326) of stiff paper or card- 
board ; ink the 

eyes and mouth, 

and slide the head 

into a slit cut in 

the nut. Make 

the tail of heavy 

black thread or 

darning-cotton 

and fasten it on 
by simply sewing the thread in the 
nut. Tassel out the end. For the 
two hind and one of the front legs 
use three stiff, straight toothpicks; bend the other tooth- 
pick for the front left leg so that the camel will appear to 
be walking. The little animal will stand on three legs, 
holding the fourth up, as in Fig. 327. 
Find a nut shaped something like 

A Little Chicken, 

with part of it inclining upward for the head. Stick two 
short, bent toothpicks in for feet ; if properly adjusted the 
chick rests on them. Cut paper wings and paste one on 
each side of the chicken. Make the beak also of paper and 
insert it in the front of the head. The eyes can be marked 
with ink. 

When among the jungle folks, off in the tangled wild 
woods, 

The Elephant 
grows to an immense size, but things are very different in 
Peanut Land. There the big-eared creature is a wee thing 
not much larger than the chicken you have just made. 






A Peanut Noahs Ark 



169 




/RONT LEG- 



Fig. 328. 




Fig. 330 



It is a veritable midget of an elephant and not at all danger- 
ous. Look over all your nuts and choose the one most 

closely resembling 

the body and head 

of an elephant; then 

make two paste- 
board front legs 

like Fig. 328, and 

two more like Fig. 
miTj^leg 329 for the hind legs. Cut two ears (Fig. 
Fig. 329- 230) and a trunk (Fig. 331). The tail should 
be comparatively slender 
and a trifle bushy at the 
end. Paste ears, tail, and 
trunk in their proper 
places and cut four slits 
in the lower part of the 
nut for the four legs, 
which you may then slide 
into place (Fig. 332). The 
tusks are two toothpicks 
stuck into the lower part of the head. By the diagrams it 
may be plainly seen just how the work is done. 




Fig. 332. 



The Owl 

is fashioned from a 

like extension. Ink 

wings, and with 

ing-cotton sew the 

toothpick. Divide 

ing each foot into 

two toes, as a real owl shows only two when in the same 

position (Fig. 333). 




Fig. 333 



nut without thejoint- 
the eyes, beak, and 
heavy thread or darn- 
wise bird to a twig or 
the stitches form- 
two portions or 



1 



170 



What a Girl Can Make 




In the queer Peanut Land 

Storks 

hold an important position. They are very proud and 
carry their heads high as they stand perched upon their 
long stilt-like legs. Their Holland relatives delight in 
building nests on 
the tops of chim- 
neys, and it is al- 
ways considered a 
sign of good luck 
for the occupants of 
Fig. 334- ^g h ouse when Mr. 

and Mrs. Stork favor them with 
their presence. Your stork will 
not have to remain on the outside 
of the house, because, not being as 
large as the others of his family, 
you can find room for him in al- 
most any place. Make the bird's 
body of the most common-shaped 
peanut, his legs of two stiff wooden 
toothpicks, and his head (Fig. 334) 
of stiff paper. Mark eyes on the 
head and put the different parts of 
the bird together. He will stand 
up straight if you punch his feet into a piece of patented 
paper used in packing bottles (Fig. 335). If you have no 
such paper, use anything you can find that will answer the 
purpose. 

Lobsters 

which will not pinch also live in Peanut Land. They have 
eight bent toothpick legs, a tail of paper (Fig. 336), and 




Fig. 335 



A Peanut Noahs Ark 



171 





paper claws (Fig. 337). The antennae are toothpicks. Real 
lobsters have one front claw larger than the other, but on 
peanut lobsters these are of 
the same size. When you 
have made the lobster (Fig. 
338) you might boil him 
by dipping the funny little 
thing in red ink, for lob- 
sters are always red after 
Fi &- 336- being boiled. 

All these animals need a 

Noah 

to keep them in order in the Ark. 

Make Noah entirely of peanuts ; a small 

one for the head, a large one for the 

body, two for 

the arms, two for each leg, and two 
small nuts for the feet. String the 
nuts together with strong, coarse 
thread. Make the hair of a number 
of strands of black thread tied to- 
gether in the centre. Pin this wig 
on the peanut head, part the hair 
and spread it out to meet in the 
back and gum it in place. Mark 
the face with ink and dress the doll 
with loose trousers and loose sack 
coat. Cut the hat of common wrap- 
ping-paper. First make the brim 
of a circular piece of paper, with a 

round hole in the middle ; then the crown of a strip of paper 

slashed on each side. Fasten the ends of this together, turn 



Fig. 337- 




172 



What a Girl Can Make 



out the slashes on one side and slide the brim over the 
crown down on the turned-out slashed portion. Paste it on 
tight. Next turn in the slashes on the top edge of the 
crown, fit a disk of paper over them as you would put a lid 
on a pan, and gum the top of the crown in place. You will 
find Mr. Noah rather loose-jointed, but that does not matter ; 
he is better so, for he is not too stiff to run about and 
attend to his collection of animals. Make Mrs. Noah of 
peanuts as you did Noah, and dress her in bright colors 
with a gay little hat fastened firmly on her head. 

The Ark 

may be an ordinary pasteboard box, with a gabled roof 
pasted on the lid. Take a box like that shown in Fig. 339, 

Fig- 341- 




Fig. 339. 



Fig. 34°- 

bend a piece of stiff paper 
(Fig. 340), paste the sides of 
Fig. 340 on the lid (Fig. 341), 
and over the two open ends 
gum triangular paper cut as in Fig. 342. Paint windows 
and a door on the sides of the Ark ; then paste the Ark on a 
piece of another larger box-lid cut like Fig. 343. Put Noah 
and his wife in the box with all the animals, and tie a string 
through a hole pierced in the front of the stand of the Ark, 
so that the Ark with its entire cargo of peanut animals may 
be dragged from one place to another (Fig. 344). 



A Peanut Noahs Ark 



173 



Noah's Ark and all its animals has ever had a great 
attraction for young folks, and it is not an uncommon 
sight to see baby grab Noah, Mrs. Noah, or some of the 
gorgeously painted animals, and put the 
toy in its mouth. Many of the colors used 
in painting the shop toys contain poison, 





Fig. 342. 

but the present Mr. 
and Mrs. Noah and 

all the zoological Fig. 343. 

collection described in this article are healthy, wholesome 
food. So when you tire of playing with them you may 
eat them, with no 
danger of ill con- 
sequences. Just 
think! Elephant 
and camel for first 
course, stork and 
lobster second, and 




Fig. 344- 

dessert of spiders, wasps, and 
small birds. What a novel bill of 
fare ! One little girl may eat a 
couple of elephants, several giraffes, a rhinoceros or two, 
and still have a good appetite for her regular dinner. 



174 What a Girl Can Make 

Should you think of some favorite animal not here 
described, which would be an addition to your collection, 
put your wits to work and hunt up a peanut suitable for the 
purpose ; then find a photograph or printed picture of the 
animal, that you may be sure to have it as perfect as the 
materials will allow. In this way almost 

Any Animal, Fish, or Insect Can be Made, 

for after working out the given examples you will have 
gained sufficient knowledge of the governing principles of 
the work and enough skill to enable you to continue the 
manufacturing of peanut toys alone or with the help of 
other girls and boys. 

Different Lines of Objects 

can also be formed from the nut. Break open one with 
only a slight indenture at the centre and make the two 
halves into fairylike little sailing vessels by the addition 
of a sail and mast cut all in one from white writing-paper, 
and gummed to the bottom of the boat near the large 
end. It requires but a moment to make these tiny crafts, 
and they will sail across a basin of water as if they were 
in reality large affairs on the salt sea, their white wings 
gleaming out in the most charming manner. Stir the water 
slightly with a stick and see how the boats dance ; blow 
gently on the sails and off the two will race for the opposite 
side of the basin. If you are near any small stream or pond 
you may launch your tiny boat and watch it bravely breast 
the little ripples. 




CHAPTER XV 
A FLOWER FEAST 

■ HIS dinner party will be great fun, 
especially as there need be no 
worry about cooking', for the sun, 
with the assistance of the rain and 
air, has attended to that part of the 
preparation. 

We shall have to 
provide some sort 
of a dining-table. An ordi- 
nary letter-paper box about 
eight inches long and five 
inches wide will answer the purpose. Spread 
over the table a fresh, white table-cloth of 
paper, and for a centre-piece choose 




M 



V ^Q) 





Fig. 346. 
12 



A Pineapple 

made of a cone one and one- 
half or two inches high (Fig. 
345), cutting it off flat at 
the stem (Fig. 346) so that 
it will stand firmly on the 
table (Fig. 347). On the top 
of the fruit pin a small 
bunch of coarse grass tips 
tied together with thread 
i75 



Fig. 345- 




Fig. 347- 



176 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 348. 




(Figs. 348 and 
349) and use the 
petals of a bright- 
colored flower, 
which will lie flat 
when the lower 
portion is cut off, 
as an ornamental 
mat to place un- 
der the pineap- 
ple ; a nasturtium 
blossom (Fig. 350) 
will look well. 

Almost every- 
one is fond of 




Fig. 349- 



beaut 
down 



A Fine, Fresh Fish 

for dinner, so we will select 
one which is sound and 
perfect. Carefully open a 
large-size milk-weed pod in 
the seam which you will 
find on the rounded side 
(Fig. 351) and take out the 
iful white fish composed of the seeds clinging to their 
y wings, the seeds forming the fish's scales (Fig. 352) 

and the down its body. 
Cut out a piece of white 



Fig. 35°- 




Fig. 351- 

paper (Fig. 353) and with 
a drop of paste fasten it on 




Fig. 35*- 



A Flower Feast 



177 






Fig- 355- 



the fish to 

form the tail 

(Fig. 354) ; 

also gum a 

small, round Fig. 354. 

Fig. 353. piece of inked paper in position for the eye ; 
place the fish on a dish made from a long, green leaf (Fig. 
355). Hollyhock 
seeds, which are 
packed together 
in rounded forms, 
must furnish 
cheeses, the re- 
semblance being 
very marked (Fig. 356). Two will be required and should 
be placed on the opposite sides of the table. 

The Rosy-cheeked Apples 

(Fig. 357) which come from 
the rose-bush are the seed- 
vessel of the flowers, and 
so closely do they imitate 
little apples, when (If detached from the bush 

they might easily Fig.357. be mistaken for such. Se- 
lect a leaf plate, fill it with the apples and place them on the 
table between the pineapple and the salad. They give a 
bright note of color, which helps the decoration. 
The 

Fruit Salad 

shall be dainty enough for a fairy queen. We will mix 
shredded orange from the petals of a full, fresh young dan- 
delion blossom (Fig. 358 shows one of the petals magnified) 




1 7 8 



What a Girl Can Make 



with shredded strawberries 
produced from the common 
red-clover blossom (Fig. 359 
represents an enlarged petal), 
and shredded cocoanut made 
from the ordinary white-clover 
petals (Fig. 360 also magnified). 
When these are well mixed 
serve them on a pretty, green 
leaf plate, and the dish will give 
another bit of mingled color 
with its pink, white, green, and 
yellow. 




Fig. 358. 



Fig. 360. 



Fig. 361. 



The Cups and Saucers 

are furnished by the oak-tree and made of acorns. The 

lower part (Fig. 361) forms the saucer; the upper (Fig. 362) 
the cup. Cut off the top, then remove the 
kernel and the cup is ready for use (Fig. 363). 
It is better to 
select a large- 
sized acorn for 
the saucer and 
a smaller one 
for the cup, in 
order that the 
cup may have 
more space in 
the saucer and 
not fit too close- 
ly (Fig. 364). 

Miniature dippers can be 

fashioned of acorn cups by piercing a hole Fig. 366. 




Fig. 362. 




Fig. 364 



A Flower Feast 



179 



in one side near the top and pushing - a slender stick through 
until it rests against the opposite side (Fig. 365). 

Odd little baskets are also made of acorns (Fig. 366) by 
cutting away all of the top of the acorn except a band 




Fig. 367. 

through its centre ; this forms the handle. The acorn is 
left in its rough saucer, which gives the outer surface of 
the basket, the inner surface being the interior of the acorn 
proper. Make several cups and saucers, and the feast will 
be ready for others to see (Fig. 
367). Of course, it is only intended 
to give pleasure in this way and 
not really to serve as food. 

Rose petals make an excellent 
substitute for the common 



Snapping Bonbons, 

such as are usually served at parties 

with the refreshments. Choose 

the largest and best petals (Fig. j68) 

and gather up the edge of one all the way around, holding 

the folds securely ; a little, bag-like object is thus formed 




Fig. 368. 





180 What a Girl Can Make 

(Fig. 369), which, when held firmly with the thumb and 
forefinger of one hand and struck against the out-stretched 

palm of the 

other, snaps 

with a loud 

noise. If any Fig. 370. 

opening is allowed when gathering up the 
edges of the petal, the air will not be con- 
fined and consequently the bag will not snap, 
Fig. 369. and you must try another. 

Of the thorns covering the stems of the roses you can 
make chains by sticking the point of one thorn into the base 
of another and continuing in this manner until the chain is 
as long as you desire (Fig. 370). 

The party being over we will make some 

Baskets of Green Burs. 

They are pretty and rustic and can be shaped into almost 
any style ; each bur is provided with little hooked fingers 
(Fig. 371) that lock when the two burs are pressed against 
each other, enabling them to stick fast together — not so 
tight, however, that they cannot be separated when desired. 
Be sure the burs are young and fresh ; they will then be 
free from all dryness and perfectly safe to work with ; if too 
old they will be difficult to handle and apt to drop the 
small, thorny particles. Before commencing the work 
spread a newspaper out in front of you, then, placing 
your burs on that, take one bur and with several others 
form a circular row around it; another row around com- 
pletes the bottom of the basket (Fig. 372). Build up the 
sides on the top of this last row and form the handle with a 
row of burs long enough to reach easily from side to side 



A Flower Feast 



181 



of the basket (Fig. 
and make all sorts 
plates, chairs, ta- 
bles, and houses — 



Fig. 371. 373). You can experiment 
of things — vases, bowls, 











Fig. 372. 



Fig. 373- 



of burs, and the work is very interesting and easy. 

Beside contributing to the salad, the dandelion furnishes 

A Variety of Amusement. 

You have only to hold its golden head up under your chin 
to learn if you are fond of butter. With one hand hold the 
flower (Fig. 374), with the other hand a mirror. If you see 
a yellow reflection cast upon your chin by the blossom 
underneath, you enjoy using plenty of butter on your 
bread. Take the grandfather dandelion with his round, 
white head (Fig. 375) and blow once, then again and again, 
three times in all; the number of downy seeds left on the 
head denotes the time of day. For instance, should all be 
blown away except three (Fig. 376), it would mean that it 
was three o'clock ; if two are left it would say two o'clock, 
and so on. 



1 82 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 



Select another nice 



Old Grandfather Dandelion 



and he will tell you when you are 
fortunate enough to obtain a certain 
wish. First make a wish, then say 
aloud " yes " and give a single blow ; 
next say " no " and blow again. Pro- 
ceed in this way, repeating the two words alternate- 
ly, giving one blow at each, until all the seeds are 
detached from the head. If the word " yes " comes 
at the last blow your wish will be granted ; if " no " 

comes last it 



4''/' '«Mp»v> 





will be de- 
nied. With 
stems of this 
same flower, Fi ' g . 37 
which, you 
know, are hollow and 
much smaller at the 
top than at the bot- 
tom, you can make pret- 
ty green rings by push- 
ing the smaller into the 
largfer end of the stem 

r . (Fig. 377)- To make a 
376 chain, join a number of 
rings together by first 
passing one end of the sec- 
Fig. 375. rig. 377. ond stem through the first 
ring before the two ends of the second stem are fastened 
together, doing likewise with the third, fourth, and fifth 
stems (Fig. 378). 



A Flower Feast 



183 




Fig. 378. 

To make an odd little ornament, split the 
dandelion stem about two inches down length- 
wise through the centre (Fig. 379) and draw 
one side strip through your lips several times 
— it is perfectly harmless — until it curls 
up (Fig. 380). Treat the other side in the 
same way and it will also curl (Fig. 381). 

The Morning-glory 

gives us some of the most fragile flow- 
ers of which we have knowledge ; they 
are so delicate and fine of texture not 
many artists are able to render per- 
fectly the peculiar charm of the blos- 
som. Beautiful in their varied colors, 
Fig. 379. they blossom until killed by frost, and 
growing as they do almost anywhere, 
even along the dusty roadside, their cheer- 
ful faces sing out a bright " Good-morn- 
ing " if one is there in time to find them 
open. Usually they begin to close early in 
the day, and when they close they change 
into twisted elongated affairs which are 




Fig. 380. 




Fig. 381. 



184 What a Girl Can Make 

eagerly sought by children bent on having a little sport. 
If you will gather a few of these floral cornucopias you can 
make them pop so loud they will rival the torpedo. Hold 
tight the opening end of the closed blossom with the 
thumb and forefinger of the right hand and fill it with air 
by gently blowing in the wee stem end ; grasp this securely 
with the left hand ; then suddenly push the two ends to- 
gether, and snap ! will go the flower. 




Home-made Baskets. 




CHAPTER XVI 



BASKET-WEAVING 



'N AND OUT, in and out; under and 
over, under and over; around and 
around, again and yet again ; widen- 
ing and narrowing, and, lo ! a basket 
f is woven. A child of eight can learn 
it, a woman will find the work a 
charming pastime ; so this is written 
for girls of all ages. 

Dye your reeds, put all the bright 
colors you like into your baskets, and 
see if they are not much prettier and 
more substantial than the so-called 
" Indian work." Red, blue, green, 
yellow, black, purple — a butterfly's 
wing need not be gayer nor an old-time work-basket more 
useful. Large, small, medium-sized, deep or shallow — only 
one's desire need determine the question. 




Materials for Weaving 

A variety of materials are adapted to basket- weaving, but 
the most substantial baskets are made of reeds. When the 
principle is mastered you may use anything you choose 
which will lend itself to the work. 

The basket-reeds can be purchased from any reed and 
rattan manufacturer, and come in various sizes. Nos. 2, 3, 

185 



1 86 What a Girl Can Make 

and 4 are the ones to use, and as No. 4 is quite heavy you 
will need that only for large baskets, such as waste-paper 
baskets, flower-pot cases, etc., and even for such purposes 
No. 3 will answer. No. 2 is the finest, and of that you will 
use the most. The prices range from twenty-three cents to 
thirty-five cents a pound, No. 2 being the most expensive. 
Beside the reeds you will need a twist of raffia ; this is a 
soft material used by the florist for tying up plants, and 
may be obtained from him at little cost, probably eighteen 
or twenty cents a hank. 

To Prepare the Reeds 

The reeds come in bunches of five pounds each ; sepa- 
rate these, and taking each reed wrap it loosely around your 
hand to form a coil, twisting the ends in and out to hold them 
in place. This puts your material into a convenient form, 
and you need unwrap the reeds only as you have use for 
them, one at a time. Have ready a pan or pail full of water, 
for the reeds must be soaked awhile before they are used 
to make them more pliable and to keep them from breaking. 

Try a small basket at first — let us say a rather flat, shal- 
low one — and for this one coil of No. 3 and several of No. 
2 reeds will be enough. When they have soaked for about 
five minutes take out the No. 3 reed, unwrap it, and cut six 
pieces twelve inches long and one piece eight inches long ; 
then untwist your raffia and cut off one strip. 

Weaving the Basket 

The reeds you have just cut are for the ribs of your 
basket. Lay the short rib to one side within easy reach, 
then take three of the ribs in your left hand and cross them 
with the other three, as in Fig. 382. Be sure the reeds lie 



Basket-weaving 



187 



flat and side by side ; do not bunch them. Hold the ribs 

where they are crossed between the thumb and first finger 

of your left hand, the vertical ones 

on top, as shown in Fig. 382, and 

with your right hand place one end 

of the raffia on top of the reeds, 

under your left thumb, leaving the 

free end to fall to the left, as in Fig. 

382. Hold the ribs securely now, 

and bring the raffia up under those 

on the left-hand side close to the 

crossing, then over the upper ribs 




Fig. 382. 




Fig. 383. 



A, Fig. 384. Bring 
this rib and draw it down close to 
the centre, then under the next, over 
the third, under the fourth, and so 
on until you have been once around, 
when you will find another rib nec- 
essary to make the weave come out 
properly. Here is the place for the 
short rib ; place one end of this rib 
across the centre of the others, as 



(Fig. 383), under the right-hand ribs 
and over the lower ones, going 
around twice and catching down the 
end of the raffia in the process ; then 
trim off the remaining short end of 
the raffia. Do not loosen your hold 
with your left hand, but with your 
right separate the ribs as well as 
you can and begin to weave the 
raffia, starting at the left-hand rib of 
the upper group, as shown by letter 
the raffia over 




Fig. 384. 



1 88 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 




shown by letter B, Fig. 385, and hold in place with your 

left thumb. Bring the raffia over the new rib, and continue 
weaving as in the first round ; when 
you reach the short end of the rib 
bind it down with the raffia as you 
carry it over one of the other ribs, as 
shown by letter C, Fig. 386. Weave 
steadily with the raffia now, and keep 
your mind on separating the ribs until 
they are of an equal distance apart ; 
Fig. 385. also remember to draw the raffia down 

firmly each time you pass it in and 

out between the ribs, first on one 

side, then on the other. Of all parts 

it is most essential that the centre 

of the basket should be firmly and 

strongly woven. Be careful not to 

weave under or over two ribs at one 

time. Under one, over the next, is 

the rule ; and when you find, as you 

will occasionally, that something is 




Fig. 386. 



wrong, and alternate weaving has 
become impossible, look back over 
your work and you will discover 
that you have somewhere crossed 
two ribs at once. In such a case 
pull out the work and correct the 
mistake. 

Weave the raffia until the centre 
is about two inches in diameter, or 
until you have used up the raffia, 
then take from the water a coil of the No. 2 reeds, unwind 
it, and placing one end across the end of the raffia, hold it 





•1 ; I 



Basket-weaving 



189 



with the thumb of your left hand, and proceed to weave 
with the reed just as you did with the raffia (Fig. 387). In 
all cases the joining must 
be done on the inside of 
the basket. 

Weave Your Reed 

as closely as possible, and 
when you have a disk about 
four inches in diameter be- 
gin to shape the sides by 
bending the ribs upward 
toward you (Fig. 388) and 
drawing your reed tighter. 
If this slips up in the proc- 
ess, push it back in place 
and hold it down by passing the fingers of your left hand 
between the ribs from the inside. Indeed, this is a good 
way to hold your basket as soon as the ribs are sufficiently 
separated. Your left hand follows your right always in 

basket-weaving, holding 
in place what the right 
hand commits to its care. 




Segirx To shape The sides* 
S-ty banding Ihs ribs upward 



Fig. 388. 




When the First Reed 
is Used Up 

take another, cross the 
ends, and continue as you 
Flg- 38g- did when beginning with 

the first reed. As your weaving progresses do not for- 
get to keep the distances between all of the ribs equal, and 
try to avoid the tendency they have to curve spirally. 
When your basket has slanting sides you will find it will 



190 IVhat a Girl Can Make 

almost shape itself after you have given the ribs a sharp 
bend at the first and started them in the right direction. 
By bending the ribs too much you will make straight sides 
to the basket or have them slant in instead of out. Two 
inches is a good depth for a small basket, and when you 
have woven that much, cut off the ribs, allowing them to 
extend about two inches beyond the edge, as in Fig. 389, 
and trim the ends slantingly, as shown in the same diagram. 
Bend the end of one rib down, and push it into the basket 
on the farthest side of the next rib (Fig. 389). Do this with 
the second rib, and so continue around until the edge is 
" bound off." When the ends of the ribs do not slide in 
easily, pry open the space with a pair of closed scissors, 
turning them slightly. 

All the baskets shown in 

The Photographed Group 

are woven in exactly this manner from start to finish ; the 
shaping is done by bending the ribs this way or that, and by 

tightening the weave when 
narrowing and loosening 
it when widening. There 
is a difference, of course, 
in the length of the ribs, 
the larger baskets requir- 
ing longer ribs and more of 
Fi s-39°- them, but there must al- 

ways be an even number to start with, the odd rib being 
added after the first round of raffia-weaving. 

It is difficult to handle more than ten ribs at the start, but 
where the basket is large or a close weave is desirable you 
may double the number when the disk for the bottom is 
almost complete. To do this, cut a number of the ribs one- 




Basket-weaving 1 9 1 

half the length of the ones you have started with, and after 
trimming the ends as in Fig. 389, insert one at the right of 
each of the original ribs, as shown in Fig. 390, pushing each 
well down toward the centre. This will give you an even 
number once more, so a third rib must be added to one of 
the groups, and should be inserted at the left, the original 
rib being between the two new ones (Fig. 390). Separate 
these ribs as you weave until all are of an equal distance 
apart, and continue the shaping of the basket. 

The Covers 

are pretty and useful additions to some baskets ; they are 
woven in the same manner and are shaped according to 
fancy. The saucer shape is the most common style and 
requires no sudden bend in the ribs, but rather tight weav- 
ing and an indulgence of the natural inclination to curve 
from the centre. 

It is only in adding the rings for the 

» Fastenings 

that you need make any change in the weave, and that is 

but a slight one. When your cover is almost large enough, 

bring your reed up to form 

a small ring on the outside, 

crossing one of the ribs, as 

shown in Fig. 391 ; push the 

end of the reed through the 

ring several times, making 

a twist as in Fig. 391, and '"'"^J^- 

continue weaving as before. Fi e- m*- 

This ring should be about one-fourth of an inch from the 

edge of the cover. The corresponding ring in the basket is 

made in the same manner, and should be placed one-half 




192 What a Girl Can Make 

inch from the edge ; it must be a trifle smaller than the one 
on the cover, that it may be slipped through, and so form a 
fastening. 

Make a Hinge 

by threading a strip of raffia through the basket near the 
edge, and tying it on the inside, then through the lid, 
making a stitch across the reeds, back to the under side of 
the cover, bringing it around the loop of raffia to form a 

twist, and finally into the 
basket, and once more tie 
on the inside (Fig. 392). 
You may revel in 

Color 

if you like, in the pretty 
work of basket - making. 
The soft broken colors, 
Fi e-392- brightened at times by 

touches of more brilliant tones, are really beautiful, while 
even those which, alone, seem crude and glaring, by some 
happy accident of combination often produce charming 
effects. A fine line of black is sometimes effective and 
looks well next to the whitest of the natural-colored reeds. 
It is 

A Law in Decoration 

that bands of color should be so placed as to give the idea 
of additional strength to the object decorated — that is, on 
the most exposed parts, such as the fullest swell of a curve 
and the base and edge. You will find that this rule is ob- 
served in most decorated pottery, and it is a good one to 
follow in basket-weaving ; the nearer one comes to embody- 
ing it in the work, the more satisfactory are the results. 




Basket-weaving 193 



Another style of decoration is to start with a dark color 
at the base of the basket and gradually work in the different 
shades up to the lightest color at the edge. One color 
need not be used in this, such as red running up to pink, but 
gradual blending of one color into another. 



CHAPTER XVII 




AN "ABE 



' LINCOLN LOG- 
CABIN 



BRIGHT, gray-eyed little Kentucky 
boy, of whom all have heard and 
whose memory is honored by the 
entire nation, lived years ago in a 
quaint log-cabin so small that it 
would now seem to be about the 
right size for a large play-house. 
There was but one room, and that 
contained only a few pieces of 
rough home-made furniture. The 
boy, with his musical laugh, was busy and healthy, making 
the best of everything and sleeping soundly on the dried 
leaves piled in one corner of the loft over the room. There 
were no stairs for the little fellow to ascend, so he climbed 
to his primitive couch by means of wooden pegs driven in 
the side of the wall. He never complained of any hardship, 
but always tried to better things ; and after he grew up to 
manhood he tried to better his country, and succeeded. 

Imagine this brave boy dressed in the every-day costume 
of the place and times, wearing a 'coon-skin cap which 
partially covered his thick dark hair, a homespun shirt, 
trousers of roughly tanned deerskin, and on his feet, not 
shoes, but home-made moccasins. Thus attired, he daily 
trudged by the side of his sister Nancy, walking several 

194 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 195 

miles to a school-house, which was also built of logs, so 
arranged that they stuck out and formed little recesses in 
which the children played hide-and-seek. There were no 
windows in the building; the day crept through the open 
space where a log had been removed to admit light to 
enable the girls and boys to see to study. The school floor 
was the bare brown earth, not even boards ; yet from such 




An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin. 

modest surroundings came one of the greatest of Americans. 
Could you have been at the World's Fair in 1893 you might 
have seen a log-cabin which was the home of this boy after 
the family had moved to Illinois. The house was on ex- 
hibition at the Fair, having been purchased for the purpose 
by a special association. 

Probably not many Northern girls have ever seen a 
genuine log-cabin, though some may have spent part of 
their Summer vacation in recently built log-houses in the 



196 What a Girl Can Make 

mountains, but these buildings are usually too luxurious 
and spacious to bear any resemblance to the pioneer struc- 
ture of logs. The rare human life which has passed through 
some of these old log-cabins and left its influence upon 
the world, will cause the cabins to be remembered long 
after the more pretentious mansions have been forgotten. 
It is noble lives which are of real worth, not inanimate 
things. 

Naturally you would be glad to see the funny little 
Kentucky log-cabin where Nancy's brother first lived, but 
long ago the cabin was torn down ; however, the logs were 
saved, and in 1895 the old house was rebuilt on the original 
site. The surest way of seeing a log-cabin like the one in 
which our little friend and his sister lived is for you to 
erect such a house. Then you will know exactly what little 
" Abe's" home was like — for you must have guessed before 
this that Nancy's brother was the martyred President, 
Abraham Lincoln. 

Of course, you cannot build a log-cabin large enough for 
grown people to live in. Yours will be 

A Miniature "Abe" Lincoln Cabin, • 

and the longest and heaviest logs should be about as large 

around as a lead-pencil and measure not more than eight 

inches in length, 
the short side logs 
Flg ' 393 * being five and a 

quarter inches in length. Notch each log at both ends and on 

both sides (Fig. 393), except the four foundation logs, which 

require notches 

at each end, but 

only on the upper Fig. 394- 




"1 



/3fc 







Making an "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin. 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 197 




side (Fig. 394). When erecting the house fit the cross logs 

together at the notches (Fig. 395), in order to make the walls 

firm and to avoid wide spaces 

between the logs. Let the 

elevation or height of the 

house be four inches (Fig. 

396). In building the roof use Flg ' 395 ' 

end logs graduated in length (Fig. 397). These gabled ends 

should raise the house two inches through the centre. Be- 
fore adding the roof, 
slide in two extra 
side logs, each half 
an inch or so longer 
than the side logs 
proper ; place one at 
each end of the top 
of the house along 
the inside of the last 
logs on top of the 
side walls (Fig. 398, 

F E). The longer logs are used to extend the roof back 

and front beyond the building, causing it to project as do 

the roofs on real houses. 

To produce a like result 

on the sides, have the 

front and back logs of 

the roof longer than 

those built in the front 

and back of the house, 

the difference being the, 

same increase in meas- 
urement as in the sides of the roof (Fig. 396, A B and C D). 
Cut a piece of paper two and one-quarter inches long 




Fig. 396. 



Fig. 397. 





198 What a Girl Can Make 

and one and one-quarter inches wide to indicate the door; 
fasten it b)' the four corners to the centre of the front of the 
house immediately above the foundation log. Cut another 
piece of paper the size of the window — one inch long- and 

three-quarters of an inch wide — 
and paste it also on the front of 
the house midway between the 
door and the end of the house, 
allowing it to come a little lower 
than the top of the door (Fig. 
396). With paint-brush and white 
paint mark the logs along the 
edge of the paper door and win- 
dow ; then carefully take down 
F,g ' 398 ' the house, placing the logs in 

eight different piles : the front of the roof in one place, back 
of roof in another, first end of roof in the third pile, and 
second end in the fourth. Tie each group of logs separately 
and label. Proceed in like manner with the four sides of 
the house proper, first removing the pieces of paper. Cut 
the logs marked with the white paint on the inside of the 
lines to make openings for the door and window, then rub 
off the remaining paint from the logs. 
Now your material is 

Ready for Building 

and you must find some land upon which to erect the house. 
Fortunately log-cabins need no cellars, so digging will be 
unnecessary, and the ground need not be deep. A piece of 
bookbinder's stiff pasteboard or a light-weight wooden 
board seventeen by twenty-three inches or thereabouts will 
prove the best kind of a ground plot and, after space is re- 
served for the house, will allow for a large yard. Mark the 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 



199 



location for the house a little to one side of the centre and 
near the back of the lot, as shown in illustration of An 
"Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin. 

Have ready some strong glue and begin the building of 
the cabin. Glue down the four foundation logs to the 
board, being cautious to lay them straight and even; 
then proceed as when first erecting the 
building, only this time glue each log 
to the lower ones at the notched ends, 
using putty in place of mortar between 
the lengths of the logs. Now, do not 
say you have no putty. If you cannot 
get it, use plaster-of-paris; if you have 
no plaster-of-paris, use clay ; and if there is no clay use mud. 
The ends of the logs bordering the window and door- 
way must be held level and kept from falling together by 
chips glued in between them (Fig. 399). 

Be sure to have the four sides of the building plumb. 
Do not let the walls lean one way or another. This item 



Wuh„~i//j/,.-„... 

Fig. 399- 



must be borne in mind constantly while building. 

When the House is Up, 

with the exception of the roof, measure the two sides of the 
door and window and cut a thin, flat piece of wood — an old 

cigar-box will do — in the 

— — — desired width and length 

for jambs. Glue the pieces 

in place. Fig. 400 shows 

= — the first jamb on one side 

: of the doorway. When all 

the jambs are fastened on 

measure the space of the 



Fig. 400. 



doorway and cut a door of the thin wood according to the 



200 



What a Girl Can Make 



measurements. Be sure it fits, and see that it moves easily 
back and forth. The door cannot have a knob, because 
during those early times there were no door-knobs in this 
country — people used door-latches, mostly of wood, with 
a string hanging down on the outside for friends to pull 
and thereby lift the inside latch, causing the door to open. 

_ If the household did not wish 

visitors the string was pulled 
inside the room ; then no one 
outside could open the door, as 
there would not be anything to 
catch hold of. This explains the 
old saying, " The latch-string 
hangs on the outside of the 
door." Bore a hole through the 
little cabin door with the red- Fi e-4°2- 



Fig. 401. 

hot end of a hair-pin, for the latch-string ; move the hair-pin 
around and around in order to burn the hole large enough 
to admit the threading through of a string. Dampen one 
end of a short string, twist it to a point and pass it through 
the hole to the other side, turn the door over and make a 
knot in the end of the string large enough to prevent it 
coming through when the string is pulled 
from the outside. Fig. 401 shows the in- 
side knot and Fig. 402 the outside string. 

Hang the Door 

by means of a cloth hinge ; glue a half 
inch wide strip of muslin lengthwise 
along one edge of the inside of the door 
(Fig. 403), leaving the other half of the 
muslin to be glued on the inside of the 
door jamb that the door sill may be on the 



Fig. 403. 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 201 



outside (Fig. 404). After the door has been satisfactorily 
secured in its proper place build on the roof. As a substi- 
tute for clapboards or shingles glue 
birch-bark over the rafters to serve 
as a covering, first bending the bark 
through the centre to fit the roof, as 
a sheet of writing-paper is folded. 
When the roof is on, fasten over it 
lengthwise slender 
poles at wide intervals, 
that the roof may resem- 
ble the original clap- 
board style 
houses 




In real 
these poles 




Fig. 404. 

were laid across to hold the rough clapboards 
in position and have them " break joints," 
which means that the clapboards, which re- 
semble very long, large shingles, are placed 
in rows in such a way that the centres of the 
solid bottom edges of those in the upper rows 
overlap and cross the spaces between 
the clapboards in the lower rows, 
just as ordinary shingles are put on 
houses to-day. 

The Chimney 

must be at one end and on the outside 
of the house. Begin at the ground, 
and in log-cabin fashion build the 
lower part up about an inch and a 
half of logs. This portion in a real 
log-cabin opens on the inside of the room and constitutes 
art of the framework of the fireplace, but in this tiny house 



Fig- 4°5- 



202 



What a Girl Can Make 



it will not be necessary to carry out the interior in detail. 
Having securely glued the lower part of the chimney and 
plastered it between the logs, get some burnt matches or 
split a number of sticks into very slender lengths for the re- 
mainder of the chimney. These are not to be notched. Use 

them to graduate the chimney up 
a short distance until the opening 
is small enough for the clum- 
sy proper. Make the 
rest uniform in 




A Fac-simile Miniature "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin. 

extend it up an inch and a quarter higher than the top of 
the house (Fig. 405), If the chimney was a real one it 
would have to be plastered thick inside with mud, and 
between the logs and sticks, but as it will not be used for 
fire or smoke, glue will answer at the corners and putty or 
some other substitute for the cracks, as in the illustration of 
A Fac-simile Miniature "Abe" Lincoln Losr-cabin. 

The different materials needed for the cabin and 
grounds can be readily obtained. Almost any kind of fairly 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 203 



smooth twigs will make line logs, but try to have them uni- 
form in size. 

You Can Find Plenty of Moss 

for foliage in the woods or swamps, on old stumps of trees 
and weather-beaten fences, and a few varieties are to be had 
in the open fields ; that growing in pine woods or rocky 
places is generally satisfactory. Gather the moss wherever 
you can find it and obtain as many varieties as possible. 
Look also for the beautiful lichens, varying in color and 
form ; detach them carefully and bring the curious little 
plants home in a box separate from the moss. The dainty 
lichens do not need preparation for use, but the moss does. 
Place it top down on paper near the fire and dry quickly 
without scorching. After it is dry shake off all impurities, 
such as dead leaves, grass, sand, and rotten wood. Moss 
that grows in swamps should be carefully washed soon 
after being obtained, as the roots are difficult to clean when 
they become dry. As soon as the moss has been thor- 
oughly dried, put it away in a dark place until you are 
ready to use it. 
To obtain 

The Bark for Roof and Canoe, 

hunt up a birch-tree — one that has been dead a short time 
is best — and with a sharp knife peel off the pieces needed. 
The bark should be of a rich dark reddish-brown on the in- 
side. Cut it with an old pair of scissors into the desired 
shape and size ; then place the pieces between two smooth 
boards to dry. Put weights or stones of convenient size 
upon the upper board, and very soon the bark will be flat- 
tened out and ready for use, 



204 



What a Girl Can Make 



The trees are small, branching twigs. Search for those 
which resemble most closely little trees. Examine carefully 
the structure of real trees, stand under the branches and 
gaze up into the foliage ; in most varieties, you can see 
exactly how the tree grows. Try to remember its ap- 
pearance ; where and how the limbs stand out and the man- 
ner in which they branch off ; then select your twigs ac- 
cordingly. 

Little " Abe " was obliged to take a long walk to the 
spring for drinking water, but since the size of our lot does 
not permit placing a spring at sufficient distance from the 
cabin to copy exactly the environment of the Lincoln home- 
stead, we will introduce 

A Pretty Little Lake or Pond 

and an old-fashioned country well-sweep as water supplies. 
Hunt up a piece of broken looking-glass. This will make 
an excellent substitute for a miniature 
lake of real water, reflecting the beauti- 
ful green shore, the over- 
hanging trees, 
and the graceful 
little craft which 
we will moor to 
its shore. If the 
mirror is the 
requisite size, its 
shape does not 
matter. Place the glass 
near the front of the 
board at the left-hand 
side. Move it further back, then forward, a little 
to this side and that, until you find the precise spot best 




An "Abe" Lincoln Log- cabin 205 

suited for the lake. Experimenting in this way, you will 
gain unconsciously a slight insight into the art of landscape 
gardening, and when you have an opportunity you will find 
yourself studying the arrangement and beauty of grounds 
laid out by professional landscape gardeners. You will 
notice in what direction the water lies from the house, the 
arrangement of the trees, if they are many or few, in groups 
or scattered, the surface of the land, and various other 
details that appeal to the close observer. 

Having located the place for the lake, lay the broken 
mirror on it and glue a strip of paper, half of it to the edge 
of the glass and half to the board. Fig. 406 shows the 
method, the dotted line giving the extreme edge of the glass 
under the paper. Cover the paper with a light coat of glue 
and sprinkle clean, fine, dry sand over it while the glue is 
wet that the sand may stick fast and conceal the paper. 
With a lead-pencil draw two parallel lines as a boundary for 

The Walk 

from the house to the front edge of the board and, recollect- 
ing the old saying, " A curved line for beauty, a straight 
line for duty," make the path curve in some such way as 




Fig. 407. 

seen in Fig. 407. Extend the walk almost diagonally across 
to the right hand of the board. If the first lines do not 
give a satisfactory path, try again and again until you have 
the walk to suit ; then, if possible, obtain sand of a yellow- 
ish color and with the aid of glue make a sandy walk. 



206 



What a Girl Can Make 



The best place for 



A Well 




is toward the right hand of the land beyond the house, be- 
tween it and the front edge of the board. Decide upon the 

exact location and over this draw 
a square measuring one and three- 
quarters inches each way as a 
guide in building the wall. You 
will need some small stones for 
Fi e- 4° 8 - the well, but real stones are not 

necessary and you may use instead irregular broken 
pieces of cork. These can be made to resemble 
hard stones by being first coated all over with 
glue, then covered with sand of a dark reddish 
hue. 

Build the square according to and imme- 
diately outside the lines in order to keep the 
inside space of the well large enough to allow 
the free lowering of the bucket. Make the 
walls even and straight, gluing the foundation 
stones securely to the ground. When the first 
layer of stones is in place fit in others for a 
Flg ' 410 " second row on top of the first, breaking joints; 
cement the two rows together with putty. Keep on build- 
in sr until the walls 




Fig. 409. 



are an inch and a 
ing the flattest 
(Fig. 408). 
stick five inches 
end in a button- 
glue the button-mould down tight to 

the board at the right-hand side six inches from the well ; 

then make a straight, slender pole five inches long from a 



half high, reserv- 
stones for the top 
Cut a forked 
long and push the 
mould (Fig. 409) 



Fig. 411. 






An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 2,07 

twig, and a well-sweep from a heavier twig. The well- 
sweep should be fourteen inches long and much heavier at 
one end than at the other. On the light end of the sweep 
attach the slender pole, which has previouslv had a hole 
burned through the lower end with the red-hot end of a hair- 
pin. Glue a small strip of brown muslin from one stick to 
the other, not allowing the ends of the stick to meet (Fig. 
410). Wrap and glue the sides of the cloth around the two 
poles, forming in this way a hinge, which will allow the slen- 
der pole to hang straight down from the sweep (Fig. 411). 
Tie an 

Acorn Bucket 

(Fig. 412) on the end of the pole, pass a string under the 

handle of the bucket and through the hole in the pole, 

then fasten securely. » Pierce one of the forked 

ends of the stick (Fig. (f\ 409), with a pin, measure 

seven and a half inches ffeJl from the smaller, light 

It m m 1 

end of the sweep, and % Jn insert the pole sweep at 

this point between the . forked ends shown in 

Fig. 413. Push the pin entirely through the 

sweep and the second fork of the support, where it will act 

as a hinge. Try moving the sweep up and down to see if 

it works all right. 

Should the bucket drop into the well and remain there 

when your hand is removed from the pole, it shows that the 

heavy end of the sweep is too light. Remedy this by 

increasing the weight. Tack and glue a small box on the 

end (Fig. 414), resting the pole exactly on the centre of the 

inside bottom of the box. Fill the box with small stones 

until the weight is sufficient to keep that end on the ground, 

glue the stones in tight (Fig. 413). Now try the sweep 

again ; pull the pendant pole down, bringing the bucket into 

14 



208 



What a Girl Can Make 



the well just as the real ones are worked. You can pretend 
that the well is very deep, containing the clearest and 
coldest of drinking water, and that the acorn 
bucket is in reality the original "Old Oaken 
Bucket." That famous bucket actually hung 
from just such a sweep as you have made, 
only, of course, a very much larger and 
stronger one. 



Let some of 




The Trees 

be nearly as tall again 

as the cabin ; others 

may be smaller. 

Select your 

twigs and 

push the 



Fig. 413- 

end of each into a 

large-sized button-mould. If the hole in the mould is too 

small, enlarge it. Have a few very small twigs for shrubs ; 

stand the trees and shrubs around 

grounds as you think 

Try placing them in 

different parts of the 

grounds — perhaps a 

large tree partially back of 

would look well. When all 

factorily arranged mark the different 

spots, then take each tree and bush Fig. 414. 




satis 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 



209 



separately and cause the bare branches to burst forth into 
beautiful green foliage. To do this, bring out your box of 




moss and carefully select 
nearly resembles foliage, 
moss for different trees, 
Pick the dainty moss 
glue the pieces one at a 
making the foliage thick- 
in others ; place the light- 
outside limbs of the trees, 
inner branches. Fig. 415 
Fig. 416 the same in full 



the variety which most 
Use different kinds of 
if you have a variety, 
apart fibre by fibre and 
time on the branches, 
er in some places than 
est-colored moss on the 
leaving the darker for the 
shows a bare tree and 
leaf. When the trees and 



Pigr- 415- 

shrubs are ready glue them by their button-mould stands 
to the board. 
Next the 

Grass-seed Must be Sown 

or the sod planted that the ground may be clothed in 
emerald green. Select a quantity of fine short moss and 
glue it down all over the entire bare land ; then step back 



2IO 



What a Girl Can Make 




a short distance and view 
suprised at the realistic 
the grass well down, but 
shores of the lake and 
size here and there near 



the work. You will be 
effect produced. Bring 
unevenly, around the 
scatter stones of various 
its edge. Take a few 



pieces of the vine-like /*-^) moss and trail it up the 
side of the cabin, running Fig- 4l6< the vine high under the 



eaves. 



The Fence 



must be one of the picturesque zigzag rail enclosures some- 
times called " Old Virginia " fences and again " snake " fences. 

They are peculiar 

to America and are 

Fi e-4i7. made of split logs. 

When Lincoln was a boy he excelled in splitting rails and 

made more and cut them faster than any of the other boys. 



An "Abe" Lincoln Log-cabin 211 

The rails you require, however, are so small that a girl as 
well as a boy can easily make them. Cut the logs four and 
one-half inches long and split each one lengthwise (Fig. 
417). Make enough rails to lay a fence around three sides 



Fig. 418. 

of the grounds. The back edge of the land can be hedged 
in with bushes and trees. Build the fence by first placing 
stones — one or more, according to the size — in two rows, 
those in each being about four inches apart. The circles in 




Fig. 419. 



Fig. 418 give the position of the stones, and the dotted line 
that of the rails. Begin the fence by laying the first rail on 
two of the stones, the next rail across to the third stone, 
and so on. Make the fence several rails high ; then cross 
two upright rails at each corner and build on the top rails 
(Fig. 419). Glue the stones to the ground and the rails one 
on top of the other as you build. 

Leave an open space at the path for a gateway, but in- 
stead of an ordinary gate you can make 



212 



What a Girl Can Make 



Fig. 420. 




A Little Turnstile 

which will twist around just like a real one. Choose a 
thick short log and shave it off level on the top ; then take 
two thin flat sticks about two and one-half inches long ; 
round off the corners and, crossing them at the centres, glue 
the two together (Fig. 420). When dry work a pin through 
both at the centre and push 
the pin down, not too tight, in 
the top of the log (Fig. 421). 
Enlarge the hole in a good- 
sized button-mould and fasten 
in the turnstile. Scrape away 
enough sand at the centre of 
the gateway to allow the button-mould to be glued to the 
bare board ; then brush a little glue over the mould and 
around its edges and sprinkle with sand. 

The bright-colored lichens come in well as flowers to 
give the 

Finishing Touches. 

Little tufts can be glued at the base of the cabin and chim- 
ney. The variety with the coral-red tops might be planted 
here and there along the edge of the walk, and other kinds 
could be fastened sparingly on a few rocks at the base of 
the well-sweep and wherever they would add to the beauty 
and effect of the whole. But be careful about using too 
many simply because you happen to have them. Study the 
effect of the entire scene and do not overcrowd it. 



The Birch-bark Canoe. 

Cut the boat from the pattern (Fig. 422) ; sew up the 
two ends and, if necessary, bend out the sides until the 



An "Abe " Lincoln Log-cabin 



213 




Fig. 422. 



canoe is of the desired shape (Fig. 423). Moor the craft 

to the edge of the shore with the aid of a little glue. 

Or you might put 
the canoe out on 
the water ; glue it in 
place and seat two 
little jointed dolls in 
the boat, one dressed 
as a girl and the 
other as a boy. The 
boy should have 
glued to his hands a 
little wooden paddle 

whittled from a piece of thin, flat wood. 

When people lived in log-cabins they burned wood in the 

great fireplaces and always kept a generous 

Wood-pile 

near at hand. A 
tiny one at the side 
toward the back of 
the grounds will, 
Fi s-423- therefore, be in 

keeping with the cabin. Burn two holes through each end 
of a short flat piece of wood and stick a slender pole in each 
hole, fasten them in tight with glue, then burn two holes in 
another piece of wood for two similar poles. Place the two 
pairs of stakes about three inches apart, and cut your wood 
and pile it up evenly between them. The stakes are to hold 
the wood in place (Fig. 424). 

A Sawbuck 

can be made of four flat pieces of wood and one round 
piece. Shut your eyes, think hard, and you will remember 




214 



What a Girl Can Make 



how a real sawbuck looks ; how the cross-piece is nearer the 
top than the bottom and how each side-piece forms an awk- 
ward-looking X, the cross of the letter being above the 




Fig. 424. 

centre. You can make it without diagrams. Look at the 
sawbuck near the wood-pile in Fig. 424 and try. 

Find a tiny doll, dress it like a child and glue it in an up- 
right position on the walk. Have another doll (neither of 
these should be jointed) dressed in a way to represent the 
little one's mother, standing by the well drawing water, and 
your charming old-fashioned log-cabin home will be fin- 
ished. See illustration of An " Abe " Lincoln Log-cabin. 



<Q 



5" Q? 




You might be drawing the simple designs. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

QUEER THINGS ON PAPER AND BLACKBOARD 
AND HOW TO PUT THEM THERE 




*OOK at a piece of blank paper or, better still, 
stand before an unmarked blackboard 
and try to imagine pictured on its sur- 
face whatever you would like to see 
there. It might be a comical little 
turtle, a rose, or perhaps a graceful 
swan. If you knew exactly the true 
shape and proportion of the objects you 
could draw them, but as soon as you 
attempt the sketch you realize that you 
cannot remember just how these creatures are formed, 
and consequently you are unable to depict them. Do not 
be discouraged, for there is a way in which you may do the 
work easily and that is by reducing the realistic drawing 
to a few leading lines, and the girls who are able to sketch 
even a small number of simple objects in this way have 
resources within themselves both for diversion and devel- 
opment, worth much more than they are apt to understand. 
If you would like to put on paper or board 

A Funny Little Pig 

as it stands with its ears bent forward and nose in air, draw 
a horizontal line (Fig. 425). On the right-hand end of this 
extend down a short vertical line (Fig. 426) ; on the left 

215 



2l6 



What a Girl Can Make 



draw another vertical line parallel to but longer than the 
first (Fig. 427). Draw a bottom horizontal line not quit( 
as long as the top one (Fig. 428) ; then connect the two loos 



Fig. 425. 



Fig. 426. 



ends by a slanting line (Fig. 429). Make the letter V inverte 
and slightly tipped for the ear (Fig. 430) ; put a dash i 
front of the ear parallel with the top line for the eye, and 



1 



1 



Fig. 427. 



Fig. 428. 



little loop at the back for a tail (Fig. 431). Add two shor 
straight lines to serve as legs on the far side of the pig 
making them touch but not pass the bottom line (Fig. 432), 




Fig. 429. 



Fig. 430. 



Next put in the other two legs on the near side of the 
animal, extending them up a trifle beyond the bottom line 



and down a lit- r\ 
those on the far A^ 

There ! the 
tion, listening 
come sound of 
call and read)' 
dinner! Now make the little animal as he appears wher 
satisfied and trotting off contentedly. Draw the body a 




Fig. 431- 



tie lower than 
side (Fig. 433). 
pig is all atten- 
to the wel- 
the children's 
to start for his 



On Paper and Blackboard 



217 



for the first pig, but turn it upside down (Fig. 434), then add 
the eye, ear, tail, and legs. Slant the eye with the head line 
and point the ear downward toward the left (Fig. 435). In 

these lines forming the two 



JL 




Fig. 432. 



animals you have produced 
expressions ; in the first, 
expectation ; in the second, 
contentment, and you have 
also suggested character, 
by giving the principal dis- 
tinctive lines of the pig. 
When you see a picture of a pig, or the live creature, try 

to find the lines which you have drawn. To do this, first 

get an idea of the general line q 

forming the back, omitting all 'v. 

the little ups and downs and 

curves — in other words, all 

detail. Then proceed in the 

same way with lines forming 

the rest of the animal. Do 

not allow yourself to be confused by the amount of detail ; 

keep to the principal parts and you will gain some idea of 

the form of the object. u~ 




Fig- 433- 



Fig. 435- 



Fig- 434. 




In the same way look at the governing lines of 

A Hen 

and you will discover that if a triangle be drawn with the 
straight line, or base, uppermost, and the point down at the 



2l8 



What a Girl Can Make 



bottom, it will give the characteristic outline of the hen by 
adding simple outlines of head, tail, and feet. But the 
leading lines are not necessarily straight and angular; 
they are often entirely of curves — the kind of curves boys 
and girls delight to cut in the ice while skating, and which 
Old Ocean marks upon the sand in summer, using brushes 
made of waves. 

Did you ever notice how many beautiful curves exist in 

The Queen of Flowers, the Rose, 

the national flower of England ? Examine the blossom and 
endeavor to take in its beauty. A question often asked in 
one of the games of children 
is this : " Which would you 
rather have, a gold rose or 
a gold lily ? " and the be- 
wildered young prisoner 
scarce can choose, so im- 
Fig ' 43b - pressed is she with the de- h ' ,g - 437 - 

sirability of possess- y v. ing, if only in imagi- 

nation, both rose and / \ lily, little dreaming 

that once a year a / \ rose of the purest 

gold is actually made r *>. /H and given by the 
Pope to an Empress, \ \r J Queen or royal prin- 

cess belonging to the ^-^i_-^ Roman Catholic 
Church. The rose Flg ' 438 ' you can make will 

not be of the precious met- 
al, but of chalk or lead from 
a pencil, and you need not 
wait to present it to a royal 
personage, but may give it 
to whom you please. Be- 
Fig. 439. gin with a circle (Fig. 436). Fig. 440. 







On Paper and Blackboard 



219 





Draw it as perfect as possible, and within its border place 
one curved petal (Fig-. 437), another (Fig. 438), a third (Fig. 
439), a fourth (Fig. 440), and 
two more (Fig. 441). Fill 
the circle up with petals as 
in Fig. 442, then on the out- 
side of the circle make six 
more (Fig. 443) ; to these 
Fig. 441. add four on the outer edge Fig. 442. 

(Fig. 444). Now you may go over all the lines, making 
them somewhat irregular, as in Fig. 444. Draw a stem to 
the rose, add a few 
thorns and on the 
right-hand side of 
the stem attach a 
branch of green 
leaves according to 
the copy. The easi- 
est way to sketch in 
the leaves is to first 
draw the mid rib or central line which 
reaches from the point 
of the topmost leaf to its junc- 
ture with the stem of the rose. 
When that line is made draw 
two more, branching out on 
each side of it. These lines 
form the skeleton of the 
leaves, and all one has to do 
to finish them is to commence at the tip of each line and 
draw a curve to its base, first on one side, then on the other, 
to form the leaf. 

Is not that easy ? Should the work be incorrect the first 





Fig. 443- 



Fig. 444. 



220 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 





Fig. 446. 



time, do it over again and again. Only little animals are 
born with a knowledge of all they are required to know ; 
people must learn everything, even how to walk. Remem- 
ber that the women and men who seem so skilled and wise 
had to learn by repeated trials, just as you are doing now. 

Rub the marks off the blackboard or get a fresh piece of 
paper and we will put a face on it — one that, after you have 
once drawn it, you can almost 
sketch with your eyes shut, so 
simple is the work. Possibly 
you do not know that the 
general outline of 

A Head 

is egg-shaped. Make an egg- 
»g. 445- shaped outline, using the large 

part for the top like s^*~~~ > Sl a balloon (Fig- 445)- 
Draw two curves on / \ the egg for the eye- 

brows just above the / \ centre of the face 

(Fig. 446) ; make two J /^ / ^ N I smaller curves under 
the eyebrows and ex- V / actly in the centre 

of the face for eyes \ / (Fig. 447) ; another 

curve midway down \ y between the eyes and 

the bottom of the FigS«* M »x / 447. chin for the nose (Fig. 
448), and a last one below the 
nose to form the mouth. See 
how supplicating the face 
looks ! You know how he 
feels — the boy wants to go to 
the circus (Fig. 449). 

Reverse the order of the 
lines and the expression will 
Fig. 448. be entirely different. Turn Fig. 449. 





On Paper and Blackboard 



221 




Fig. 450. 



the curves which 
form the features 
the other way by 
bending - them 
downward in- 
stead of upward 
(Fig. 450). The 
boy is now think- 
ing of the lesson 
he did not learn. 




The Three Blind Mice 

who ran so fast when the butch- 
er's wife went after them can also 
be drawn in a simple manner. 
Make a curve (Fig. 451) and 
draw a straight line from end 
to end (Fig. 452) ; add ears (Fig. 
453), eye and whiskers (Fig. 
454), a tail (Fig. 455), 
and the legs and feet 
(Fig. 456). Draw three 
mice all alike in a row. 
Again, make Fig. 452 
to form the body of 

A Fish. 

Sketch in the gills 
(Fig. 457), the eye and 
pectoral fin (Fig. 458), 
the dorsal fin (Fig. 
459), and tail (Fig. 460); 
then make the scales 



Fig. 451- 




Fig- 452- 




Fig. 453- 




Fig. 454- 




Fig. 456. 



222 



What a Girl Can Make 



2l 




Fig. 457- 



Fig. 458. 



by first drawing - parallel curved slanting- lines over the 
body of the fish (Fig. 461) and crossing them with others 




Fig. 459- 



(Fig. 462). Indicate the 
water with a few short 
lines (Fig. 462). 

Turtles 

are slow creatures, but 
they are interesting trav- 
elling about with their 
houses on their backs. 
Did you ever have one ~ 
for a pet? They are 
very quiet, not at all 



Fig. 460. 




Fig. 461. 




Fig. 462. 



troublesome, and make fine pets for girls. It may be that 
you have never seen a geographic turtle. We will draw 




u^ 




Fig. 463- 

Fig. 464. 

one, and that will impress it on your mind. Take the same 
Fig. 452 to form its back, mark as in Fig. 463, then give 



On Paper and Blackboard 



223 



the turtle a head, in form something like that of a snake. 
Draw the eyes and mouth distinctly and add the feet and 
tail (Fig. 464). 

Here is something easier to draw than any of the other 
objects. 

Make a Duck 

without raising the pencil from the paper. Commence at 
the left-hand starting-point and draw a line sidewise, run- 
ning it slightly downward 
(Fig. 465). Turn the line up 
Fig- 465. an( j cross i{- over> making a Fig. 4 66. 

loop at the right-hand end (Fig. 466). Continue the line to 
the other side and turn it up into another loop under the 
starting-point (Fig. 467). Keep on crossing 
from side to side, looping the line each time 

until you have made Fig. 468 ; 

then draw the line up and 
Fig. 467. around the loops as in Fig. 

469 to form the wing. Next make similar loops, according 
to Fig. 470, for the tail. At the last loop draw the line 

across under the duck's 

wing, stretching it up 

in front (Fig. 471). This 

gives the lower portion 

of the head and beak. 
Continue the line to make the upper part of the head (Fig. 
472). One more trial and you will probably be able to draw 
the bird rapidly without once raising the pencil or chalk 
from the surface of the paper or blackboard. Let the duck 
swim in the water by drawing a few swirling lines around 
it as in Fig. 473. 

Young people often have an intense enthusiasm at dif- 
15 




Fig. 





Fig. 469. 



Fig. 470. 



224 



What a Girl Can Make 





ferent seasons for different sports. At one time it may be 
hoop rolling-, when every girl must have a hoop, even if it 
be one from a 
barrel. Again, 
pin-wheels claim 
attention, and the 
Flg- 471- stores are be- 

sieged for bright-hued paper and all Fi &- 472 - 

the girls and boys work hard over the pretty whirling 
toys, talking of the many colors, sizes, and number of their 

special designs. Somewhat after 
this fashion the grown people in 
Holland had at one time a craze, not 
for a toy but a flower — the brilliantly 
colored tulip — and these older girls 
and boys often spent many dollars 
for one plant, vying with each other 




Fig- 473- 

in their endeavors to obtain rare varieties 
Though often gorgeous in color 



The Tulip 

is very simple in outline. In one stroke draw Fig. 474, 
make a corresponding curve on the other side (Fig. 475), 
forming an oval standing on end ; this is one 
petal. At the right-hand side, from near the 
top of the petal, run a short, slanting curved 
line upward and outward (Fig. 476) and con- 
nect the end of this line with the bottom of 
Fig. 474. the oval by a reverse curve, making the Flg ' 47s ' 
petal point outward at the top (Fig. 477). Duplicate the 
petal on the left-hand side, making three visible petals 
(Fig. 478), most of the other three being hidden on the far 




On Paper and Blackboard 



225 



Q^- side of the flower. Form the tops 
of the back petals by drawing three 
little tent-like points, one on each side 
and one back of the central petal (Fig. 
479, A, B, C). Add the stem by draw- 

Fiff. 476, . . 

ing two straight lines down from the 





Fig. 478. 



Fig. 479- 



bottom of the oval (Fig. 480). A 

short distance from the flower add 

two long, pointed leaves on the 

stem, curving them somewhat af- Fig. 480. 

ter the manner of the side petals (Fig. 481). 

There are other flowers whose outlines may 
be drawn in this simple manner. Try the 



Fig. 477. 




Fig. 481. 



Common White Field Daisy 

with its golden centre. First draw a small circle to repre- 
sent the centre, and as the texture of its surface is slightly 
rough or velvety, differing in this respect from the surface 
of the white petals, indicate the difference by covering the 
centre with tiny dots. From the edge of the centre sketch 
in the petals of the flower by drawing, for the sides of each 
one, two long, curved lines which start from the round 
dotted centre and end by meeting at the outermost tips. 
Make a number of petals extending entirely around the cir- 
cumference of the centre. Let them radiate out in all 



226 What a Girl Can Make 

directions as the spokes stand out from the hub of a wheel, 
being careful to have the petals about the same length, that 
the daisy may be circular in form and not uneven. 

Always make the designs large in size, drawing the lines 
in with free, easy sweeps of the wrist and arm. Never allow 
your work to become cramped ; move the pencil or chalk 
deliberately and think what you are going to do before 
starting. Satisfy yourself as to where you are to begin and 
where you are going to stop ; then do your best. 

The duck of fancy loops (Fig. 473) does not portray the 
characteristic lines of the bird. Such was not the intention ; 
it is merely given for the fun of twisting the lines into the 
form of a duck, so that you may be able to say, " I can draw 
a duck without taking the pencil from the paper. Watch 
me ! " Then you draw it for the benefit of your friends. 

If you can get a blackboard or a piece of blackboard 
cloth and tack it over layers of paper on the wall, you might 
give 

A Little Parlor Entertainment 

by drawing the simple designs you have learned, and per- 
haps others you can work out for yourself as you stand be- 
fore your friends. There is a certain fascination in watching 
anyone sketch and seeing lines which appear to be without 
meaning develop into familiar objects. Try the idea with 
a few friends or the members of your family. As you 
sketch the objects tell in an easy, natural manner anything 
and everything you know about them. And before you 
are aware of the fact you will be giving others a delightful 
half-hour, besides enjoying it yourself. 



CHAPTER XIX 

HOME-MADE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 

IRLS, do you know that music lies hidden all 
around you, needing- only the right touch to 
bring it forth? That everything is said to 
have its keynote, from a big bridge to a little 
wooden bench, and that when the keynote 
is struck the object will vibrate percepti- 
bly ? A 

Blank Piece of Paper 

does not suggest music in any form, and yet 
you can draw many and various notes from 

it. Cut a strip of writing-paper 

like Fig. 482 and whittle two 

pieces of wood according to 



Fig- 483- 




Fig. 482. 




Fig. 484. 



Figs. 483 and 484; make the wood a trifle wider than the 
paper. Place the paper between the bits of wood (Fig. 485) 

and, holding- the instrument 
tight between your teeth, 
blow through it ; keep on 
blowing until it whistles like 
the wind. 
227 




Fig. 485. 



228 



What a Girl Can Make 



Of course you should have a number of different instru- 
ments in the orchestra you intend to organize, so that each 
girl may play on her own special instrument. For the next 
one, try 

A Harp. 

Harps were valued highly in ancient Egypt, and later in 
other countries, some of which still retain them. Modern 
musicians, like Meyerbeer, Gounod, 
Berlioz, Liszt, and Wagner, understand- 
ing. 486. ing the worth of the harp, introduced 
it in their music. Our instrument may not be as graceful 
in form, but you can have more real fun with it than you 




Fig. 487. 



Fig. 488. 



could with any of the big, costly affairs. Get some elastic 
bands and a deep, empty cigar-box ; drive slender nails at 
intervals along the front and back edges of the box ; then 
take ordinary elastic bands (Fig. 486), and stretch them 
across the box by slipping each one over two back and two 
front nails. The elastics must be of various widths ; place 
the heaviest at one end of the box and graduate up to the 



Home-made Musical Instruments 229 



lightest at the other (Fig. 487). With a quill (Fig. 488) test 
the instrument. You can tighten the elastics by looping them 
around and around one or more of the four pins; in this way 
the strings may to a great extent be keyed as you wish. 
Practise on the musical box with the quill toothpick until 
you can make the elastics sing a tune, then put the harp 
carefully aside where it will not be broken, and hunt up a 
piece of wood for a modern 

Dulcimer. 
Have the wood about an inch thick : on the top of it, 
lengthwise through the centre, draw a straight line as a 
guide. Along the line drive common white pins graduated 
in size, placing 
the largest at 
one end and 
the smallest at 
the other (Fig. 
489). If you can 
only get pins of 
one size, grad- 




Fig. 489. 



uate their height by sinking some deeper in the wood 
than others. To do so without danger of bending the pins, 
first make shallow holes with a large strong pin by screw- 
ing it into the wood ; a hat-pin will answer the purpose. 
Should you happen to have heavy nippers, the pins may be 
all of the same height, and you can pinch off their tops, 
causing the row to slant down from one end to the other. 
All being ready, touch the pins lightly with the quill tooth- 
pick, running the scale first up, then down, the entire length 
of the pin row. After a few trials you will be able to play 
some simple airs on the pin keys. 

Doubtless most of you have seen bells of glass which 



230 



What a Girl Can Make 



may be rung like those of metal, but probably you have 
have never tried bringing 

Music From Every-day Glass Finger-bowls 

and drinking-glasses. Try it. Collect as many different 
kinds of glasses as you can find, the thinner the better. 
Place them on a wooden table (Fig. 490) and with a 
wooden hammer made by pushing an empty spool on one 




end of a lead-pencil (Fig. 491) gently strike first one glass 
then another to find the different tones. Having ascertained 
these, make the glasses give forth the simplest chimes of 

the church bells. 
But do not stop 
here; experiment 
F,g ' 491 ' ~~ until you are able, 

with various taps, to bring out more music than you at first 
imagined possible. Let the glasses, like Tennyson's happy 




Home-made Musical Instruments 231 

bells, " ring out the false, ring in the true." The same poet 
in " Locksley Hall " has the speaker ask his comrades to 
" sound upon the bugle-horn " when they want him. Few 
girls will ever try their powers on a real 

Bugle-horn, 

but all can readily make a twig sound an alarm. Get a 
piece of ordinary willow-tree (Fig. 492). Be sure it is flaw- 



c 



Fig- 492- Fig. 493. 

less and perfect ; with a sharp knife slice off a slanting piece 
at one end (Fig. 493), then cut a notch in top (Fig. 494). 

^ ,y — rv Gently tap the bark all over 

\ y with one end of a penknife in 

Fig. 494. order to loosen it from the 
wood. After carefully removing .— ^=, r . —s 



the bark without breaking it, \. " 



cut the wood according to the Fig. 495. 

dotted lines in Fig. 495, which will give Fig. 496. The 

wood is now ready to slip back into the bark, but before 



Fig. 496. Fig. 497. 

doing so place a pea in the hollow part (Fig. 495) ; then 
slide the bark back in place (Fig. 497). Now blow the twig 
and sound the alarm. 

A roast of beef hardly seems promising in a musical way, 
and yet the roast, though it looks so sober and quiet, 



232 



PVhat a Girl Can Make 



can help you with the orchestra. Save the smallest two of 
the long-, flat 

Bones 

(Fig. 498) and, after cleaning and drying them, hold both in 
your right hand, one bone between the first and second 

finger, the other between the 
second and third, so that the 
convex or outward curved 
sides lie next each other and 
the top ends of the bones 
extend slightly beyond the 
knuckles. Then double up 
your hand, holding the first 
bone securely, the other 
loosely, and in this position 
give your hand a quick twist 
and jerking motion, causing 
the loose ends of the bones to 
come together with a click, 
click, c 1 i c k i t y , click. The 
bones should not be cooked, 
as too much heat will crack them. 

Another home-made instrument of music is the 

Crystal Flute, 

fashioned of small bottles. Any kind of bottle which sounds 
well when you blow into it will answer the purpose. Use 
coarse darning-cotton to sew the bottles in a row on a strip 
of pasteboard, commencing with the deepest toned and 
leading up to the highest toned (Fig. 499). Place the flute 
against your lower lip and blow into the open mouth of the 
bottle. Continue blowing as you move the instrument along, 





The Dance of the Dolls. 



Home-made Musical Instruments 233 



sounding each bottle in turn. After a few trials you can 
manage the crystal flute well enough to have all the bottles 
join in the grand chorus of the musical jubilee you intend to 
give with the home- 
made instruments. 

A little ingenuity 
will enable you to 
made a fine fiddle, 
strings and all, of a 
common field corn- 
stalk, and a good 
flute may be manu- 




Fig. 499. 



factured from a section of an ordinary pumpkin vine. Nat- 
urally you must think a little over the matter before you 
will be able to solve the problem. 

Take some hollow door-keys of different sizes and use 
them to play on ; they are well worth trying, because a hol- 
low door-key, when blown into, will give much the same 
sound as a bottle. You might add the keys to your col- 
lection of instruments. 

Even an 

Ordinary Comb 

can do duty as a musical instrument. Over one side of the 
comb lay a piece of common white tissue-paper ; then hold 
this queer instrument to your lips, allowing the paper to 
come between the comb and your mouth ; blow against the 
paper with lips gently parted somewhat as one blows on a 
horn or rather on a harmonica. Should the comb not re- 
spond at once, try again ; when the secret is once learned, 
there is no limit to the tunes which may be played. 

For giving a queer whistling noise there is scarcely any- 
thing better than an ordinary broad 



234 



What a Girl Can Make 



Blade of Grass 

laid lengthwise between the entire length of the two thumbs, 
one end of the grass extending beyond the tops of the 
thumbs and the other below at the wrist line. 

Certain tribes of people are experts in forming 

Sea-shells 

into musical instruments, but for you the shell need not be 
altered. Take it as it is, and holding the pretty thing to 
your ear, listen while the shell tells of the far-away blue 

sea, which, sing- 
ing gently, im- 
parts to her chil- 
dren, the shells, 
power to transmit 
the sound of mur- 
muring waves to 
those who will lis- 
ten to the voice. 






' •'•• /-' wm '■ .v.'.. v. \ 

a »' v **■" -r* -w - *• - !• .y , A\ ' • r - • » »•. • 




The Musical 
Fountain 

is one of the pret- 
tiest and most in* 
teresting experi- 
ments and is a 
very simple one. 
Remember, you 
must use a goblet 
for the purpose, 
not a tumbler, as 






Home-made Musical Instruments 235 

the latter will not work well. Choose a goblet of very thin 
glass, fill it almost full of water, dip the end of your finger in 
water and rub the edge of the glass quickly around and 
around until it rings with a humming sound. You will soon 
find the surface of the water shivering and wrinkling up its 
face in tiny waves, then it will become greatly agitated, 
sending up wee streams and drops of water. Wet your 
finger again and keep on with the circular motion until a 
little fountain of fine spray shoots up into the air, accompa- 
nied by the musical sound from the glass (Fig. 500). 



CHAPTER XX 




WHAT TO MAKE OF EMPTY 
SPOOLS 

ATHER up all the spools you can find, 
big, little, thick and thin ; no matter 
how many, you can use them all. 
There is no end of fun to be had 
with these always -on -hand, easily 
found toys ; they may be made into 
almost everything. Tell your moth- 
er that you can build 

The Parthenon 

if she will give you enough spools, and see her smile at the 
Very idea. But say you are in earnest and ask her not to 
look until you call " Ready." Then go to work and sur- 
prise her with a miniature representation of one of the most 
beautiful temples ever built. Begin by standing four spools 
in a row for the first side of the building, allowing about the 
width of a spool between each two. Place eight in a row 
for the second, four for the third, and eight for the fourth 
side. Have the spools all of the same size, that the walls 
may be alike and perfectly even, because, as you know, the 
walls are to be formed of columns, not as many as in the 
original, but enough to give an idea of the Greek temple. 
Build up the spools three deep into pillars ; then lay a piece 

236 



What to Make of Empty Spools 237 

of pasteboard on the top of the columns for a ceiling. 
Bend another piece of pasteboard lengthwise through the 
centre for the roof, and stand it tent-like on top of the ceil- 
ing. You can meas- 
ure the correct size 
of the ceiling by lay- 
ing a piece of paste- 
board down flat on 
the floor along the 
eight-columned side 
of the Parthenon to 
obtain the length, 
and placing it flat 
on the floor across the four-columned side to mark the 
width. Make the roof the same length and a little wider 
than the ceiling to allow for the height of the bend through 
the centre. 

Now let your mother see 




Fig. 501. 



The Little Greek Temple 

(Fig. 501) and tell her that she must imagine a space imme- 
diately beneath the roof filled in with the most beautiful 
statuary she can think of, that the spools are white marble 
columns and she should see, in fancy, another row of stately 
columns inside the ones you have built. Your mother will 
be greatly interested and can tell you all about the real 
Parthenon, and probably will hunt up a picture of the tem- 
ple that you may see just how near you came to making 
the little model look like the wonderful Parthenon, on the 
Acropolis, in Athens. 

After admiring the building for a while, pretend that a 
left-over spool 



2 3 b 



What a Girl Can Make 



Is a Venetian Shell 

shot from a cannon, and toss it gently against the roof at 
one end of the temple ; then see the columns totter and fall, 
leaving only a portion of the Parthenon 
standing, in the same way that the real 
marble columns fell when the original struct- 
ure was shattered and prac- 
tically destroyed by the 
soldiers. 

Take all the spools from 




the ruins, put 
for future use, 



(^h away the ceiling and roof 
and make the spools into 



Fig. 502. 

A Set of Furniture. 

Use four for the legs of a bedstead, place them in position 
and lay a piece of stiff white paper, bent up at one end, on 
top of the spools. The bed will then be ready for the doll 
(Fig. 502). 

A table can be made in a moment's time. 

Choose a large spool (Fig. 503) and place a round 

piece of paper (Fig. 504) on the 

top (Fig. 505). For chairs use 

spools with bent pieces of paper 

for seat and back. Make the 

bureau of six spools 

close together in two 

rows of three spools 

each and cut the top of 

a piece of paper with a 

high extension in the centre which you 

must bend upright for a mirror. The 




Fig. 503- 






Fig. 504. 



Fig. 505. 



What to Make of Empty Spools 239 



wash-stand can be four spools quite close together covered 
with a piece of paper. A piano is easily made, but you 
must think it out for yourself. Use a small spool for the 
piano stool. 

The Lamp 

(Fig - . 506) is a spool with a little roil of white paper 
shoved into the hole and a circular piece of paper crimped 
around the edge for a shade. Unless you 
need the spools to use again in other ways 
you might paste the paper on tight and 
make a lamp which will not come apart, 
and you could also glue the top on the 
table and the seats on' the chairs. This is 
not necessary, however, for if you are 
careful and do not knock against the fur- 
niture, it will remain secure. 

When enough furniture has been man- 
ufactured for the patient little dolls who 




Fig. 506. 



have been waiting all this 
time, give them a present 
of 

A Wagon 



can enjoy 
Cut Fh 




in which they 
the fresh air. 
507 from heavy paper or 
card-board that will fold 
without breaking. Bend 
all the dotted lines and cut 
all the heavy lines in the 
pattern. Push a burnt 
match, or a wooden tooth- 
pick, through one hub, then through an empty spool and 



Fig. 507- 



240 



What a Girl Can Make 




the second hub. The spool forms the wheels. Screw a 
small pin cautiously through each of the two projecting ends 
of the match, piercing 
the wood and leaving 
the head and point of 
the pin standing out 
(Fig. 508). Tie a knot 
in the end of a string to 
prevent its sliding out Flg ' 5 ° 8 ' 

and thread it through the hole in the dash-board (Fig. 508). 
Help the dolls into the vehicle and take them for a ride. 
Next build 

A Memorial Arch 

(Fig. 509) something like the one which was erected in New 
York City. Commence with two groups of spools a short 

distance apart; have 
three in each group, 
two in the back and one 
in the front. Build up 
columns four spools 
high ; then lay a strip 
of pasteboard across 
from one to the other. 
On top of the paste- 
board place two more 
groups of smaller spools 
a little nearer together 
than the first groups. 
Make these columns 
two spools high and 
crown each with a 
single spool decorated 
with a bright-colored 







Fig- 5°9- 



16 



What to Make of Empty Spools 241 



paper .flag fastened on a slender stick pushed down in the 
spool. At the base of the arch add three more spools on 
each side (O and O, Fig. 509), and the famous structure will 
be completed. This is not exactly like the original, but for 
a spool arch it is fine, and a spool procession will feel 
honored to march through it. 

You might make bridge piers of spools and use a strip 
of pasteboard to form the several spans ; then the procession 
could cross the river safely 
and march on the other side. 

Did you ever 



Blow Bubbles with a Spool 



— beautiful bubbles, which 
float and glide in the air with 
all the charm of clay-pipe 
bubbles ? Mix strong soap- 
suds, dip one end of a large 
spool in the water ; wet the 
spool, then blow. If the bub- 
ble refuses to appear, dip the 
spool in the water again, put 
your head down to the spool 
and blow a few bubbles while 
the spool is in the water, then 
quickly raise it and try again. 
Nine times out of ten you will succeed, and a bubble will 
swell out from the spool as in Fig. 510. These wooden 
bubble-blowers last a long time, with no danger of break- 
ing when accidentally dropped on the floor, and you may 
always find enough to provide each of your playmates with 
one when you meet for a trial of skill in bubble-blowing. 




Fig. 510. 



242 



What a Girl Can Make 



After you tire of this sport try the 





Pretty Winged Creatures. 

Cut a butterfly (Fig. 511) from bright-colored tissue- 
paper or thin writing-paper, bend at dotted line and paste 
on the large end of a very small cork. Fit 
the small end of the cork in top of the hole 
of an empty spool 
(Fig. 512). Then 
blow through the 
spool and see the 
butterfly ascend 
rapidly to the ceil- 
ing and float down 
Fi £- 5"- again. If you could Fi s- 512. 

make several different colored butterflies, you might invite 
some young friends to help you fill the room with the pretty 
winged creatures. 

Take another empty spool and stick a common wire hair- 
pin partially into the hole, bend the hair- 
pin slightly down against the edge of the 
hole, do the same with three more hair-pins, 
and you will have a spool with a funnel-like 
opening of hair-pins at the top (Fig. 513). 
In the funnel place a small, light-weight 
ball made of a crushed bit of bright paper 
wound around with thread. Raise the spool 
to your lips and blow gently (Fig. 514). 
The ball will rise and fall in mid-air, in the 
same way that you have seen one of rubber 
N dance at the top of a small fountain or jet 
Fig. 513. of water. 




What to Make of Empty Spools 243 



Spools may do duty as 

Cannon, 

and from them sticks be made 
to fly quite a distance. Select a 
large-sized spool, cut 
the rim off one end, 
cut two dents, one 
on each side of the 
shaved end of the 
spool, and then tie 
over this end a piece 
of black cotton elas- 
tic. On each side tack 
a large button-mould; 
these serve for wheels 
and also cover the 
fastening of the elas- 
tic. Paint the cannon 
black, and it is ready 
for use. Insert a 
stick, pull it back with the elastic, and 
fire ; the stick will shoot swiftly through 
the air. 

There are many other toys, besides useful articles, which 
can be made of empty spools. Find out by experimenting 
what they are, so you may have the triumph of originality, 
of making things which differ from articles made by others. 
The empty spools do not cost money, nor does the 
pasteboard from old pasteboard boxes, yet they may fur- 
nish more genuine enjoyment than could be derived from 
the most expensive toys. 




CHAPTER XXI 






CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS 

"HEN the air is cold and frosty, 
and people move quickly 
through the streets, stopping 
to loiter only in front of the 
shop windows; when groups 
of merry girls hurry along 
on their way to school, their 
cheeks, glowing rosy under 
the brisk greetings of a 
northwest wind ; when the 
evergreens displayed for sale 
upon the sidewalks send 
forth a spicy odor which ascends like incense and the very 
atmosphere seems pulsating with pleasurable excitement, 
there is no need of a calendar to tell us that the holidays 
are close at hand. As surely as a cloudless sky betokens a 
fine day, so surely do these signs indicate that Christmas 
will soon be with us. 

Purse-strings, even if kept tightly drawn the rest of the 
year, are loosened now, and money is spent freely and 
ungrudgingly, not only for gifts, but also for Christmas 
greens with which to decorate and beautify the home. 

Stars, wreaths, and ropes of evergreen and holly will 
soon adorn the interior of almost every house. There are 

2-14 








rrk^tM 



wiiiisiSSW 



Some of the Portieres are Woven in this Style. . 



Christmas Decorations 



245 




rays plenty 
hands ready and eager Fig 5I5< 
to help, but there should 
be a head to devise a plan of decoration 
and to direct and superintend the carrying- 
out of the idea; for there is no necessity for festooning a 
room and hanging up stars and wreaths in the same way 



246 



What a Girl Can Make 



year alter year. A great variety of new designs may be 
made. 

For instance, Fig. 515 shows a beautiful and 

Effective Portiere 

composed simply of ropes of evergreen fastened to the cur- 
tain pole by looping one end of a rope over the pole, bringing 
it down and tying it securely to the same 
rope just under the pole. Each piece is fast- 
ened on separately and hangs loosely down. 
Fig. 520 is a 

Star and Shepherd's Crook 

grouped to form a pretty wall deco- 
ration, the design symbol- 
izing the star of Bethlehem 
and the shepherds who, 
watching their flocks by 
night, heard the angel chorus 
" Peace. on earth, good- will toward 
men." 
Fig. 520. Make the star of five flat sticks 

(laths will do), two and a half feet long, and put 
them together as shown in 





Fi 



then cover the 



Fig. 521. 



g- 52i; 

frame with holly so that 
none of the wood is visible. 
Make the crook of a broom- 
stick, to which fasten with 
strong twine, or flexible 
wire, a piece of rather stiff 
wire bent in the shape of 



Fig. 522. 






i 



Christmas Decorations 



247 



Fig. 522. Wrap evergreen closely around the wire and 
stick until every bit is covered and it looks like one piece. 

Then place the crook behind 
the star and wire or tie it in 
place. 




Fig. 516 is 

A Silver Star 

on a background 
of evergreen, the 
rays being made 
of strips of tinsel 



Fig. 518. 

which is sold for deco- 
rating Christmas-trees. 
The frame for the back- 
ground is made like Fig. 
517, and should be about two 
feet square. Over this frame 
stretch ropes of evergreen, 
close together, and fasten with 
tacks at each end. Cut the 




Fig. 516. 



248 



What a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 517. 

in illustration (Fig 

Fig. 518 is a design for 



star from card-board, cover it with 
crumpled tin-foil and fasten to the 
centre of the frame with a small nail. 
Sew tinsel threads on the points of 
the star before it is secured to the 
background ; then when the star is in 
place spread out the tinsel in straight 
rays and fasten it to the frame as shown 
516). 



A Sconce 

upon which one or more candles may be placed. The tin 
which forms the back of the sconce reflects the light and 
produces quite a brilliant effect. /. 

Nail a block of wood one and one-half 
inches square to a piece of tin seven inches 
wide and fourteen inches long (Fig. 519). 
Silver or gild a number of pine cones and 
hang them from the lower edge of the block; 
then tack evergreen around the three sides as 
shown in illustration (Fig. 518). Fasten the 
sconce to the wall with small nails driven 
through each corner of the tin and place on 
the bracket a candlestick containing a lighted 
candle. 

One of the most quickly made 



M 



^3 



Fig. 519- 



Festoons for a Christmas Tree, 

and one which has never been thought of until now, is of 
tin-foil, the common kind of foil to be found at the florist's. 
It also comes around cakes of chocolate, rolls of cream- 
cheese, and large packages of tea. You can make the trim- 







Home-made Christmas Tree De 



Christmas Decorations 



249 



j j 



ming any length desired by pasting strips of the tin- 
foil together, but, before joining the pieces, fold one 
at a time and cut slashes on each side nearly across 
to the opposite edge as in Fig. 523. Unfolded, the 
strip resembles Fig. 524; pulled at each 
end it opens and lengthens out into Fig. 

525. 

This decoration catches the light and 
glistens beautifully, but it must be han- 
dled carefully and not laid down after it is 
stretched open. As soon as ready hang the strips 
upon the tree, where they will be 
safe. The best plan is to make these 
loopings after the other decorations 



Fig. 523- 




Fig. 525. 



are finished and on the tree. When 
the pieces are cut they are more easily 
handled if but a few are put together 
at a time before they are pulled 
open; then the decoration will ap- 
pear in perfect shape and look like polished 

shining silver hanging in delicate, graceful 

festoons. 

Another effective trimming made of tin-foil 

is in the form of 



Fig. 524- 



Fringe Ruching. 

Fig. 526 shows fringe partially cut ; use three 
layers of the foil and cut them into fringe; 
then take a strong, coarse string and twist the Fi £- s* 6 - 

tin-foil fringe around and around it, forming a rope of sil- 
very fringe (Fig. 527). 




250 



PVhat a Girl Can Make 




Fig. 537- 



An ornament that 
delights children, 
the idea of which 
comes from Ger- 
many, is a jolly lit- 
tle black 



Chimney Sweep, 

with his funny broom held high in air. He wears a peaked 
white hat and carries a bag filled with goodies. He is made 
entirely of prunes (Fig. 528)— one \Ji for the head, two 
for the body, one for each arm, one wmt; for each hand, two 
for each leg and one for each foot. |jjf' The prunes are 
strung together with a coarse nee- 
dle and thread. If he is too lim- 
ber, give him a backbone by run- 
ning a slender stick through the 
back of the head and body. Make 
him a paper hat shaped like a 
wide-mouthed horn, and cut out 
a paper face and paste it on the lit- 
tle man's head ; then tie the sheer 
white bag across his shoulders, 
fasten it at the side with a pin 
and fill the bag with sweets ; the 
broom can be fashioned of a 
wooden toothpick with a bunch 
of broom-straws bound upon one 
end. The happy child who re- 
ceives the chimney sweep from 
the tree may devour the prunes 




i 



Fig. 528. 

when tired of the 



toy. 



Christinas Decorations 



251 



Home-made 

Fancy Cakes 

cut in odd shapes make fine decorations and will be eaten 
with delight by the young people. Select a simple recipe, 
roll the dough out flat and cut into the shapes of men, 
women, animals, and birds. When baked, ornament the 
cakes with icing put on in thin, slender lines ; in most 
instances outline the figures in white sugar. 

Yellow is a color which stands out well in the midst of 
the dark green foliage of the fir, and 

Oranges 

may be used to supply it. A few can be hung to the tree 

by means of ribbons ; others may be made into pretty little 

baskets and filled with the candied 
sections of orange. Tie a piece of 
tape or any kind of band around 
an orange as a guide for cutting 
the rind evenly ; stick two pins on 
each side to designate the location 
and width of the handles ; then, 
with the small 
blade of a knife 
Fi e-5 2 9- carefully cut 

the handle, keeping it the same width 

all the way from side to side. Next cut; 

the rind along the edge of the tape (Fig. 

529). Remove the skin, in bits if neces- 
sary, to avoid tearing the handle or 

edge of the basket. Work the inside 

juicy fruit free from the remaining rind 

and take it out of the basket (Fig. 530). 

culty in doing this, cut the fruit out in pieces. Pass a 





F«g- 530. 
If there is diffi- 



252 



What a Girl Can Make 



narrow ribbon under the basket and up over the han- 
dle, tie the ends ; then bind them around under and over 

the middle of the handle, finish- 
ing with a bow-knot on top. The 
ribbon strengthens the handle, 
without it the weight of the basket 
when hung on the tree would cause 
it to break from the handle and 
fall. 

Fill the orange basket with sec- 
tions of the fruit, which have re- 
ceived a brittle coating by being 
dipped in clear, hot, home-made 
sugar candy (Fig. 531). 

Make a number of pretty, 




Fig. 531. 



Fancy Boxes 

of pasteboard cut in different shapes and covered with 
various colored paper. One in imitation of a large stick of 
peppermint candy may be made of a strip of stiff white 
paper ten or twelve inches long and three and one-half 
inches wide ; unruled writing-paper will do. Paste the two 
lengthwise edges together, forming a cylinder. Around 
this paste a long, narrow strip of bright-red paper, wrap- 
ping it spirally around the white tube. Slash two circular 
pieces of paper around the edges so that the disks may fit 
into the ends of the roll when the slashed portions are bent 
forward. Fix one of the round pieces in the bottom of the 
box with mucilage. When dry fill the box with small bits 
of candy or kernels of nuts ; then glue a loop of narrow 
ribbon or one of red worsted at the top, fasten in the 
round cover, and hang the box on the tree. 



Christmas Decorations 



253 



Be sure to save some of the prettiest paper for 

Cornucopias 

Cut them according to the dark portion of Fig. 532, and 
make the white-paper lining extend higher than the outside. 

Glue the two papers together, in- 
serting a narrow ribbon 
for a handle between out- 
side and inside papers. 
Let the colored paper 
project a quarter of an 
inch beyond one side of 
the lining in order that 
the edge A may fit neatly 
over the lining B (Fig. 
532), avoiding unneces- 
sary bulkiness where the 
two sides join. Orna- 
ment the cornucopias in different ways, according to fancy 
and the material you happen to have for the purpose. Fig. 
533 shows a gold-paper cornucopia decorated with white 
beading on a scarlet ground and a fancy picture in a red 
and white embossed frame. You can also make little 
bright-colored cheese-cloth 

Christmas Stockings 

by cutting them out and sewing the edges together with far 
apart button-hole stitches of gay worsted. When finished 
fill them with sugar-plums or small cakes. 

Bobbinet Bags 

made small and button-holed in the same way, with draw- 
strings of worsted, look well on the tree when filled with 





Fig. 532. 



Fig- 533- 



254 



What a Girl Can Make 



nuts or pop-corn, and little bird s-nests of egg-shells covered 
with moss and filled with eggs of sugar are charming. 

Holly-leaved Festoons 

of gold paper with scarlet-paper berries will make the tree 
very gay. Cut the gilt paper into a number of squares 
(Fig. 534), fold each piece through the 
centre (Fig. 535), and fold again, form- 
ing a small square (Fig. 536). Crease 
this diagonally through the centre and 
cut according 
to the dotted 
lines of Fig. 
537, clipping off 
the point C to 
make a hole in 
the centre of the design. Open out the paper, and it will 
be a conventionalized group of Christmas holly leaves (Fig. 
538). Fold smaller squares of red paper in the 
same manner and cut the design shown by 
the dotted lines of Fig. 539, unfold and the 
paper will be a formal pattern of red berries 
(Fig. 540). Now lay the berries (Fig. 540) out 
flat on the leaves (Fig. 




Fig. 534- 



Fig. 535- 




Fig. 536. 



538), adjust the two together; then 
lift the berries, put a little glue on the 
edge of the hole and fasten the berries 
on the leaves, pasting 
them together at the 
centres only. Fasten an- 
other layer of leaves on 
the other side of the ber- 
c Fig. 537. ries, also at the centre, 





Fig. 538. 



Christmas Decorations 



255 




Fig. 539- 





Fig. 540. 



putting the berries between the leaves. To the tips of the 
large leaves on the last group (D, E, F, and G — Fig. 538) 

fasten the tips of cor- 
responding leaves on 

another bunch ; at the 

centre of these glue 

more berries, then 

leaves, with their four 

tips pasted to four 
other leaf tips, and so on, follow- 
ing, in order, leaves, berries, leaves 
with points pasted 
to points of other 

leaves, then berries again (Fig. 541), mak- 
ing the rope of golden holly as long as 
needed. Tie a strong string to a small 
circle of gilded card -board and run it 
through the holes in the festoon. You 
can close the holly and berry garland up 
flat against the card-board ring by shoving 
the leaves and berries together down the 
string, as an accordion shuts flat when one 
side is pushed toward the other. In this 
way the trimming may be kept in good 
order and packed safely to serve again 
next year. 



Pop-corn Balls 



Fig. 541. look tempting on a Christmas tree. They 

are easy to make, and taste very good indeed. Have the fire 
clear and hot, with no flames, and put in the popper at one 
time only enough corn to cover the bottom a single kernel 



256 



What a Girl Can Make 



deep ; shake the popper constantly while the corn is over 
the fire until it has all popped. Then boil one-quarter of 

a cupful of molasses with a 
little sugar until it hardens 
in water, remove from the 
fire before it turns brittle 
and pour it over two quarts 
of corn. Mix well with your 
hands, make into balls about 
the size of lemons, suspend 
the sweet, white ornaments 
from the twigs, and use the 
remaining corn for a differ- 
ent decoration. String a 
lot of the flower-like ker- 
nels with a large needle 
and strong thread, loop the 
strands from branch to 
branch, and the snowy 
ropes will lighten up the fo- 
Fig. 542- liage beautifully (Fig. 542). 




Strings of Red Cranberries 

with knots of narrow red satin ribbon tied here and there 

on the strands, make a fine 

decoration. 



Peanuts 

wrapped in yellow, red, 
white, light blue, and pale- 
green fringed tissue-paper 
(Fig. 543) and tied on pen- 





Fig. 543- 




Christmas Decorations 



257 



dent lengths of string, three or four to each (Fig. 544), and 
attached at varying lengths to the limbs of the tree are a 
splendid decoration, for these peanut 
kisses give quite a gala appearance to 
the tree. 

Do not forget to have some form of 

Jewelry for the Tree 

bracelets or necklaces — not of gleam- 
ing precious stones nor yet of gold 
or silver, but of toothsome nut ker- 
nels and delicious, dark rich raisins. 
With needle and strong thread string 
first a peanut, then a raisin, a peanut, 
a raisin, an almond, a raisin, a filbert, 

a raisin, and so 

on, using as many 

kinds of nuts as 

you deem best 

(Fig. 545). The 

girl or boy re- 
ceiving this neck- 

lace will be 

charmed and 
later may devour the queer beads 
one by one as they are pulled from 
the string. 

A simple decoration is made of Fig. 545. 

Colored Paper Chains 

the first link being formed of a narrow strip of paper pasted 
together into a ring ; the next link is a piece of paper passed 
through the first ring before the two ends are joined. Each 
17 




Fig. 544- 




2 5 8 



What a Girl Can Make 



succeeding link of the chain is made in a similar manner. 
Rosy apples are acceptable as ornaments and are always to 
be found on the tree in Germany, the land that first intro- 
duced the Christmas tree to other countries. 

There is one style of ornamental gift which in Germany 
must hang on the tree until New Year's Day — the 

Gilded English Walnut 

(Fig. 546). The preparation of these can be made a delight- 
ful frolic if there are several young persons in the secret. 
Crack open the nuts so 
there will be two per- 
fect half shells to each 
(Fig. 547). Inside the 
empty nut place a 
motto or device which 
will tell the fortune, or 
part of it, of the recipient of the gift. Ideas will come to 
you as the work goes on. For a hint to help a little at the 
start, cut two hearts of red 
paper and fasten them to- 
gether with a dart made of a 
pin and piece of white paper 
(Fig. 548). This denotes that 
the girl or boy who gets it 
Fig. 548. will be the first to marry. F »g-549. ~ 

Fig- 549, the water-color brush, means that the happy lad or 




Fig. 546. 



Tig. 547 





lassie to whose 
an artist. Fig. 550 
appreciate music, 
plenty of wordly 
gestion gives rise 




Fig. 550. 



lot it falls will be 
signifies ability to 
Fig- 55 l ensures 
goods. One sug- 
to another, and 







you will think of more than enough for all the empty 



Christmas Decorations 



259 




nutshells. After the "fortune " is placed within the nut, 

glue the halves firmly together. When dry, work a tack in 

the end where the stem grew, twisting it slowly 

that the shell may not split or break. When 

the tack seems firmly in place, gild the entire 

nut, including the tack ; tie a strong string on 

this and hang the " fortune " on the tree. As 

all the nuts look exactly alike, no one can tell 

which is which — not even those who made them Flg ' 551 ' 

will know who receives the different " fortunes " until the 

nuts are opened and the secrets revealed. 

Most of the ideas given arc for a daytime Christmas tree 
where lights are not used. If candles are employed, no 
paper festoons can be placed on the tree. Lights are always 
dangerous, and the tree may be quite brilliant without 
them. 

Toys and useful little articles, such as you can make as 
presents for all the members of the family, big and little, 
and for friends, will surely add to the interest and appear- 
ance of the tree. 



CHAPTER XXII 



CHRISTMAS DEVICES 

HRISTMAS GIFT! Christmas gift! 
Ah, I've caught you ! Hand over my 
present!" With a gay laugh the chil- 
dren exchange this salutation, without 
a thought of the request ever being 
granted, but simply for the fun of being 
the first to call out the Christmas greet- 
ing. Sometimes the forfeit is paid, usu- 
ally with a handful of nuts or candy, a 
pretty trifle or anything the captive happens to have con- 
venient at the moment. The giver enjoys the fun fully as 
much as the recipient, and with a hop, skip, and jump de- 
parts in hopes of likewise finding a fellow-playmate or some 
member of the family off guard, that she may, in turn, be the 
first to wish a " Merry Christmas " and claim a gift. 




An All-day Christmas Pie 

is a charming device for delivering gifts intended for one 
person, and the fun and expectancy last the entire day. 

Cover the outside of a new tin pan with plaited white 
tissue-paper, and paste the paper along the top and over the 
bottom edges. Decide on the number of gifts you intend 
the pie to contain, and cut a corresponding number of slits 
in the circular piece of white tissue-paper which is to form 

260 






Christmas Devices 



261 




the top crust (Fig-. 552). Wrap each present in a bright- 
colored piece of tissue-paper, and tie with a narrow ribbon 

of like hue (Fig. 553) ; be 
sure to fasten the knot on 
top of the package securely, 
so there will be no possi- 
bility of its slipping from the 
parcel when it is jerked out 
of its bed of bran. Fill the 
pan with bran or sawdust, 
arrange the gifts on top in 
the order you wish, then 
put more bran over the 
parcels, heaping it in the 
Fi s- 552- centre ; thread each ribbon 

through its respective slit in the cover and bring the cover 
cautiously down 
over the pudding 
without tearing. 
Gather the edge 
a little at a time 
with your fingers, and paste it down over the sides (Fig. 554). 
Paste a double-edged fringe of white tissue-paper around 
the top edge of the pie. 
To do this, fold seve- 
ral slips of paper, as in 
Fig- 555; fold again 
through the centre and 
cut in a fringe (Fig. 
556). Open the fringe, 
gather it in the centre 
with thread and nee- 
dle, and at short dis- 





Fig. 554- 



262 



What a Girl Can Make 



tances sew on tiny bells; then fasten the fringe in place 
(Fig. 55/). Puncture a hole with a large needle in the 
centre of the top of the pie, and in- 
sert a twig of holly. 

Cut as many small squares of writ- 
ing-paper as you have ribbons, label 
each with the hour when the present 
is to be drawn, slip them on the ribbons near 
the ends, and below each tie a little silver bell, 
Fig. 555- as shown in illustration (Fig. 557). 
If there are to be only three packages, let one be drawn in 





Fig. 556- 




Fig. 557- 



the morning, another at noon, and the last in the evening. 
If more, distribute the gifts as evenly as possible through 
the day. 



Christmas Devices 



263 



The Magic Fireplace 

is another means of delivering the Christmas gifts, and 
the delight of the children when they see their presents 
come tumbling down the chimney in a way they have only 
dreamed of, will re- 
pay the thought ex- 
pended in preparing 
the surprise. 

Two wooden 
packing boxes, one 
about four feet 
square and a foot 
and a half deep, the 
other somewhat 
smaller but of near- 
ly the same depth, 
form the framework 
of the fireplace. 
Stand the large box 
on its side — the 
longest side if the 
box is not exactly 

S q U a r e and the The Ma E ic Christmas Fireplace. 

smaller box within it as shown by Fig. 558. Remove the 
top pieces of both boxes (A B, Fig. 558), and over the top 
of the small box tack a piece of doubled light-weight wrap- 
ping paper. At each end of this false cover fasten securely 
a piece of strong twine, then puncture two small holes near 
the centre of the paper and pass the ends of the twine 
through them, drawing it down as shown by letters C D, 
Fig. 559. Saw the board, which was taken from the top of 
the small box, into two pieces, and place them in a slanting 




264 



What a Girl Can Make 



position reaching from the top edge of the small box to the 
upper corners of the large one (letters E F, Fig. 560). The 

boards are kept from slipping 
by small nails driven half way 
into the edge of the small 
box. Cover the spaces at the 
sides and top, between the 
two boxes, with heavy brown 
wrapping paper, tacking it 
smoothly down along the 
edges. This paper should be 
marked to represent bricks. 







Fig. 559- 



Fig. 558. 

Pile a few sticks of charred wood on the inside hearth 

and, to make it appear that 

they are still smouldering, tack 

red tinsel paper upon them 

here and there. 

Into the receptacle at the 

top of the mantel (letter G, 

Fig. 560) place all the presents, 

resting them upon the paper top of the small box. Things 

that are easily broken should 
be covered with soft wrap- 
pings, for in the grand climax, 
when the toys roll pell-mell 
down into the fireplace, the 
fragile articles might come to 
grief. 

When the last package has 

been stowed away, replace the 

top of the large box. Deco- 

Fig. 560. rate the completed fireplace 

with evergreen, and bring the two strings, C and D, which 




Christmas Devices 265 

hang down upon the hearth, outside, looping them back 
over tacks at either side of the fireplace, as shown in Fig. 
560. 

At the appointed time the group of eager children will 
stand and gaze with awe at the wonderful and myste- 
rious fireplace, which, like a fairy house, has shot up in a 
night. 

Two persons, one on either side, must grasp the strings 
tightly, and simultaneously give a pull. With a ripping, 
tearing sound the paper gives way and whiz ! bump ! bang ! 
the toys come tumbling down, rolling and bounding out on 
the floor. 

Because it is Christmas we find ourselves longing to 
render little services, to make others happy and cause their 
eyes to brighten and sparkle with pleasure, for this is the 
season of giving as well as receiving, and the privilege be- 
longs to all. 

If there is a little convalescent in your family or among 
your acquaintances, one who will not be allowed to share 
the Christmas dinner, prepare for her a 

Christmas Tray 

You can make it very attractive. 

Have a Christmas tree for a centre-piece (Fig. 561), a 
very modest yet charming little affair — only a wee tree 
fashioned from a branch of boxwood, beautified with home- 
made toys and decorations cut from gilt and bright-col- 
ored papers. Use a large-sized button-mould for the tree 
stand ; push the end of the stem into the hole in the centre 
of the mould, and the tree will stand alone. Should 
you have no boxwood, take any green twig and turn 
it into a miniature Christmas tree by trimming off the 



266 



IVhat a Girl Can Make 




ends of the branches until the little tree somewhat resem- 
bles a cone in shape. It will require only a few moments to 

make the tree, and 
the sick child will ex- 
claim with pleasure 
at the sight of it. 
Ww^l^> A house with 

Santa Claus 

climbing down the 
chimney (Fig. 562) is, 
in reality, a piece of 
prosaic bread and 
butter transformed. 
After spreading the 
bread with butter, cut 
out the door with a 
sharp, small - bladed 
knife ; then the two 
windows, and the 
chimney. Procure a 
jolly little paper 
Santa Claus and fas- 
ten him in place by 
making an incision in 
the top of the chim- 
Fig. 56L ney and inserting one 

leg of the figure ; serve this on as pretty a plate as you can 

find, preferably a decorated one. 

A Christmas pie is another form of bread and butter. 

Cut the shape out with a large-sized tin biscuit-cutter, and 

after buttering the bread mark it into wedge-shaped pieces. 

Cut a slice or two (Fig. 563), leaving the rest to be cut by 




Christmas Devices 



267 



the child. If permissible, a little white sugar sprinkled 
over the top of the pie will enhance its appearance. Layer 

jelly cake is made of two 
round pieces of bread and 
butter, spread lightly, with a 
layer of chicken jelly placed 
between and over the top of 
the cake. Odd designs are 





Fig. 563. 



Fig. 562. 



always attractive to children 
and may be introduced in 



Serving Toast 

Make the toast very carefully, allowing the bread to turn 
only a light brown on both sides, and keep it hot between 
two hot plates. Toast should be eaten immediately after it 

comes from the fire ; it loses its delicacy 

by being scorched 

or served warm or 

stale instead of fresh 

and hot. After the 

rest of the meal is 

ready on the tray 

and the two plates 
Fig. 564. are heated, set sev- Fig. 565. 





268 



What a Girl Can Make 



eral tin cake-cutters in the oven to heat; then make the 
toast with a fork, not a toaster, one piece at a time, and as 
each is done, cut it while hot into 
queer forms with the warm cake- 
cutters. Arrange the pieces on 
one of the hot plates and cover 
them with the other. The child 
will be entertained by the fanciful 
shapes (Figs. 564, 565, 566), and eat them with a relish. 
In place of the family roast, a lamb chop will probably 
have to do duty as the 




Piece De Resistance 

Select the best cut and broil the chop skilfully over a clear 

fire. Let it be well done but not burned ; sprinkle with a 

little salt and pepper. 
Have ready some fringed 
tissue-paper and wind it 
around the end of the 
chop ; decorate with a 
pretty sprig of Christmas 
green tied with a narrow 
ribbon (Fig. 567). Eggs 
of blanc-mange (Fig. 568) 

are made by using empty egg- 
shells as moulds. The shells 

must be wet on the inside 

when the blanc - mange is 

poured into them to harden. 

If it is best for the patient to 

have only a little blanc-mange, 

mould in small shells and 

serve one or two. Fig. 568. 





Christmas Devices 



269 



Jelly 

is acceptable and can be given in most 
cases of illness. Instead of using a regu- 
lar mould pour the liquid jelly into a 
wineglass, and if the white of an egg has 
previously been beaten up with the jelly, 
it will rise in a white foam at the top of 
the glass ; after the jelly has hardened the 
resemblance will be so close it will be 
difficult to believe the glass does not con- 
tain wine (Fig. 569). The child will enjoy 
this little make-believe. If fresh 



Apples 





Fig. 569. 



are allowed, cut them as Southern people cut their water- 
melons (Fig. 570). Slide the knife-blade in the side of the 
apple, and cut 
downward, mak- 
ing a slanting 
outward incis- 
ion about an 
inch and a 
half long; 
draw out the 
Fi £- 570. knife, insert it 

again at the top of the first cut 
and make another slit in the oppo- 
site direction, the two slits form- 
ing the letter A without its cross 
piece. Again take out the knife 
and, commencing at the bottom of Fig. 571. 





270 What a Girl Can Make 

the second cut, bring the knife upward and outward, as in 
the right side of the letter V ; continue cutting these points 
until the last one meets the first, being careful to push the 
knife to the centre of the fruit at each cut. When finished 
pull the two halves of the apple apart. 

Plum pudding the child cannot have, but a fine baked 
apple will answer the purpose and may be made almost as 
attractive. Select a baking apple free from all flaws, wash 
it well and " bake to a turn " ; serve steaming hot, with a 
sprig of holly in the top (Fig. 571). 



CHAPTER XXIII 




PICTURE WRITING AND 
SIGN LANGUAGE 

HE next best thing to seeing 
one's friends is hearing from 
them, and the more interesting 
the letter the greater the en- 
joyment, particularly when 
the communication is intend- 
ed to be passed around the 
entire home circle. There is 
a delightful way in which to 
express yourself differently from ordinary writing, a method 
used by the early Egyptians, called picture writing. The 
Egyptian pictures were not at all like those made by 
modern artists ; their representations were crude and unfin- 
ished, yet they answered very well for the people and the 
times. You have advantages over those ancient people 
inasmuch as you need not even attempt to draw the designs. 
All that is necessary for you to do is merely to look over the 
newspaper and magazine advertisements, select the prints 
needed, and after cutting out and pasting them on a sheet 
of paper, with a few connecting words between, you will 
have produced an odd, interesting letter, and the work will 
be pure fun. 

Fig. 572 gives an idea of such a letter, supposed to 
have been written on Thanksgiving. Try to read it. For 

271 



272 



What a Girl Can Make 



2) 



ECtA. 




0M> 



cL 









Good Food J fcju. JfekA JrtjJ^ 



CU4.1 



yui^uuy^, 



7T 



'est*/ <Z 




Fig. 572- 



fear you might not quite catch the meaning, here it is inter- 
preted for you : 









18 



Picture Writing and Sign Language 273 

" Dear Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins: I send 
you greetings. I know there will be a cooking of tarts, 
turkey, puddings, and lots of good things. I like sweet- 
meats and fruit best. Please use the camera and send me a 
picture of the family while at dinner, and of my cousins 
standing in a row. Wishing you a jolly time, 

"As ever, your 

" Hopeful One." 

This is intended only as a suggestion ; if you can write 
your letter entirely with pictures, without the aid of words, 
it will be much better. 

There is another method you might employ ; take the 
well-known 

Symbols 

and compose your missive of these. Such as the dove, mean- 
ing peace, gentleness ; anchor, hope ; ark, refuge ; key, 
explanation ; chain, bondage ; star, promise ; lamb, inno- 
cence ; scales, justice; horn of plenty, prosperity; heart, 
love ; shepherd's crook, protection, and hour-glass, time. 
The list is much longer, but enough has been given to 
explain the scheme; other designs may be added as needed, 
but use only those whose significance is well established 
and commonly understood. 

Flower Writing 

makes a charming letter, the blossoms being placed in rows 
according to their meaning as given in the language of 
flowers. Compose a sentence of white clover, oats, and 
balm, and it will read : 

" I promise (white clover) music (oats) and social inter- 
course (balm). 



274 



What a Girl Can Make 



This might form part of an invitation to your house- 
party. 

For a regular 

Indian Powwow 

letter you must do as the red man does and write in Indian 
signs, which are usually rudely drawn figures meaning 




— o 



to-day 



for the water 



-^p&^ 



go out in a boat 



or- 



"O- 



c; ?c 



and return. 



and fish then have a swim 

Fig- 573- 

much to our copper-colored brother, 

~ v but often requiring ingenuity on the 

x O part of the white man to translate. 

Some of the best examples are to be 

seen on sandstone in Dakota County, 



Picture IVriting and Sign Language 2rj$ 



Neb., where there are hundreds of sketches. One of the 
most distinguished of Indian artists or historians is said 




Three Sleeps. 




War. 



Man. 



Buffalo. 



Turkey Tracks. 



TO 



Peace. 



tf 



ri 



Direction. 






Elk. 



Bird. 




Plenty. 




Papoose. 



Hunt. 



Bear. 




Relationship 



Youth. 



Fig. 574- 



to have been Lone Dog, of Yankton, Dak., who made 
most of his pictures on skins. Neither stones nor skins 



276 What a Girl Can Make 

will answer your purpose; ordinary paper is more con- 
venient and will be as fully appreciated if you use thought 
and care in drawing and composing your message. Make 
simple, rude pictures of different objects, borrowing the 
Indian's idea but adapting it to your needs. Fig. 573 gives 
an example of a girl's powwow letter. You may invent as 
many designs as you choose, that will be part of the fun of 
Indian writing. Fig. 574 shows some of the signs needed. 

A Letter of Colors 

is something entirely new ; it should be composed of thoughts 
embodied in colors, without alphabet, words, or pictures — 
nothing but brush strokes of delicate pinks, tender greens, 
soft grays, deep orange, rich purples, and all the many and 
varied tones, tints, shades, and hues known to man. The 
following example, being fully interpreted, will initiate 
you in color meanings and composition : 

Light Scarlet. 

My Dear Friend : 

Light tone of yellow. Drab. Blue. Red brown. 

I am glad you have thought out the truth. My interest in 

Scarlet red. Myrtle green. Orange. Different tones of yellow. 

and friendship for Nature is gaining strength. I travel miles 

Variety of color flecks in rows. 

for the flowers. 

Yellow pink. 

Your enthusiastic 

Scarlet. 

Friend. 

The name signed at the close of the letter need be the 
only writing. A list is given of the meaning of some of the 
colors, but you will probably need more ; work out the extra 
combinations for yourself. The system being once under- 
stood it will not be a difficult task. 






Picture Writing and Sign Language 277 

Rich red — Love or loved one. 

Red brown — Interest in or for. 

Orange — Strength, force. 

Indigo — Wisdom. 

Blue— Truth. 

Green — Life, freshness, youth. 

Yellow pink — Enthusiasm. 

Blue pink — Politeness. 

Gray — Doubts, fears. 

White — Intelligence, light, innocence. 

Black — Ignorance, darkness, night. 

Bright yellow — Joy, gladness, sunlight, day. 

Drab — Thought. 

Scarlet — Friendship. 

Myrtle green— Nature. 

Different tones of yellow grouped together — Travel, 
motion. 

Brown in solid squares — Rocks. 

Blue and green in horizontal lines — Water. 

Brown and green in horizontal lines — Summer. 

Brown and black in horizontal lines — Winter. 

Color dashes in wedge shape, variety denoted by colors 
used — Birds. 

Pink — Acquaintance. 

Mingled flecks in a row of any color or colors with green 
denotes one or more variety of flowers. 

Green in long perpendicular dashes — Trees. 

Tints may include the personal pronouns I, my, me, or 
mine. 

Shades may include the pronoun you or your. 



PART II 
WHAT A GIRL CAN DO 




CHAPTER XXIV 
STATUARY TABLEAUX 

|N the first place the statues must be white — 
not nearly white, but very white — flesh, 
hair, and costume ; then the background 
must be black, a dead, lustreless black. 
Given these two requisites any figure, or 
group of figures, will look like statuary ; 
and when care and pains are taken in the 
posing and draping and the proper light is 
thrown on them, the living, breathing, 
warm flesh and blood so closely resembles 
the cold, lifeless marble, it is difficult to 

realize one is not looking at statues carved by the hand of 

man. 

The Stage 

Arrange the background on the stage in the form of a 
three-fold screen, with sides slanting outward to the front. 
When possible, the top of this space should also be covered 
with the black material, slanting up to the front ; in this 
way the statues are entirely boxed in, the only opening 
being the front of the stage. That is, the only apparent 
opening, for between the back and side panels a space about 
one foot wide must be left for side-lights, and on this ac- 
count the back should extend at least one foot beyond each 
side-panel. 

281 



282 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 



The Lights 

A strong calcium light directly in front of the stage, 
though some distance from it, is best for amateur tableaux, 
and the side-lights at the back need be used only when it 
is imperative that no shadows shall be cast on the back- 
ground, as in the case of the armless statues. With the 
cross-lights thrown behind the statue, the black-covered 
arms melt into the black background with no shadows to 
betray their presence. Tall piano lamps are best for this 
purpose. 

Again, the front light may be placed nearer one side of 
the audience-room, and a pleasing effect of light and shade 
on the statuary itself be produced. 

Pedestals 
Place a platform about one foot high, and of a size to 
hold the largest group, in the centre of the stage, and leave 
it there as a base for all other pedestals. 
Packing boxes of various sizes, chosen to 
suit the statues, make excellent pedestals, 
and these, as well as the platform, must be 
smoothly covered with white cotton cloth. 

Costumes. 

Pure white Canton flannel is the best 
material to use, as it drapes most beauti- 
fully and takes the true sculptor's folds. 
It should not, however, be too heavy in 
weight, else it will be stiff and unmanage- 
able. 

The Greek or classical costume is 
almost the only kind you will need, and it 
is made simply of two breadths of the 







Statuary Tableaux 



283 



canton flannel sewed together and fastened at the shoul- 
ders ; the slits for the arms being left open nearly to the 
waist. Under this is worn a sleeveless waist of the same 
material. A cord tied around and just under the bust, 
and the dress pulled up to bag over gives one style of cos- 
tume; tied around the waist and bagging down far below 
it, gives another, and both under the bust and around the 
waist, still another. The dress should be long enough to 
allow of all this pulling up, and if too long when the statue 
is mounted on her pedestal, it can be turned up underneath; 
no hem is necessary on these garments. An extra piece of 
drapery is almost always a part of the costume, and is used 
for wrapping around the figure to give the narrow effect at 
the feet; this should be about two yards 
long and of two breadths of the material 
sewed together. 

Make the sandals of white insoles or 

two pieces of heavy card-board, cut to fit 

the bottom of the foot, extending half an 

inch beyond all around. 

card- ^- > board with white ma- 

575), and ^"^^L^^s. sew together as in 

Fig"- 577 ^- shows a simple and 

modified form of san- Fig. 576. fai Cut the side and 

back pieces from the white material like Fig. 
578, and sew them to the soles as in the Fig. 
577. Also sew white tape to the points of toe 
and heel pieces, as shown in the dia- 
gram, leaving free the two ends at the ankle for 
tying. 

Mop-rope, the loosely twisted rope used for 
^<o\ floor-mops, is the material from which to fashion 
Fig. 578. imitation 




Fig. 575- 

Cover 
terial (Fig. 
Fig. 576. 



the 




Fig. 577- 




284 What a Girl Can Do 

Marble Locks. 
Make a tightly fitting white cap to entirely cover the hair, 
as a foundation for the wig. 

In order to have the parting of the hair directly in the 
middle of the head, put the cap on and, with a lead-pencil, 
mark the desired line. The rope must be then untwined and 
the middle of each strand laid across the top and stitched 
down along the pencil line, half the length falling on one 
side, half on the other. After this the wig can be donned, 
the hair arranged and pinned in place according to taste or 
the fashion selected, and then stitched securely to the cap. 

When the hair is done up high and a side or back view 
is shown, it is necessary to sew the ends of the rope along 
the bottom edge of the cap at the sides and back, as the 
locks are drawn up from there. A narrow border of raw 
cotton sewed entirely around the edge of the cap so that it 
will extend a trifle over the forehead and neck, does away 
with the dark edge of hair which it is, otherwise, almost im- 
possible to hide. When only a front view is desired, the 
back of the cap need not be covered with the rope. Men's 
and children's wigs are made on the same principle, be 
their hair long or short. 

The face, arms, neck, and hands must be as white as it is 
possible to make them. Face powder applied in the ordi- 
nary way will not give the required whiteness, and it is 
easily rubbed off. 

Here is a professional actor's recipe which is perfectly 
harmless and will make the 

Flesh Like Marble : 
Take one ounce of white-zinc powder and three ounces of 
glycerine and rose-water — two-thirds glycerine, one-third 
rose-water. Shake the glycerine and rose-water together, 






Statuary Tableaux 285 

mixing them well, then add the ounce of white-zinc powder 
and shake again until thoroughly mixed. Apply with a 
sponge and let it dry, then smooth it with your hand and 
powder with any pure face powder. 

To Remove 

First wash with warm water, then rub with cold-cream. 
Wipe the cream off with a soft linen cloth, after which 
powder the skin to prevent chapping. Always allow plenty 
of time for making the flesh absolutely white, as this can 
not be done in a hurry. 

Subjects for Tableaux 

It is a wise plan to choose a subject already presented 
by some sculptor and copy his work as closely as possible, 
for the artist has given much thought and study to the 
posing of his figures and the lines of his drapery, and one 
can be sure the artistic effect will be good ; or a subject may 
be found in some painting which will be suitable for stat- 
uary, and this also will have the advantage of having been 
designed by an artist. Most of the tableaux should be selected 
in this way, but a few variations, where a surprise for the 
audience is prepared, or seemingly impossible effects are 
produced, gives piquancy and charm to the entertainment. 

The Armless Bust 

The effect of armless or mutilated statues which, to the 
audience, appear almost miraculous, may be produced by 
simply covering the parts of the body, supposed to be 
missing, with dull black cloth. Everyone knows that by 
covering one of the front teeth with a piece of black stick- 
ing-plaster the perfect effect of a lost tooth is given, and it 
is on the same principle that limbs are cut off or figures 
decapitated in statuary tableaux. 



286 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 




Fig. 579- 




IN THIS M/VNNER MAKE. 
THE. ARMLESS BUST. \ 



The illustration of the armless bust shows how the arms 
are made to disappear bydrawing over them a pair of black 

stockings, or long, 

narrow bags. In 

this tableau the 

side-lights must be 

used to prevent 

any shadow from 
being cast upon the background; 
the lights must shine behind the 
statue, not on it. 

The pedestal is made of a 
packing box, with the top cut 
out to admit the figure, as shown in the diagram (Fig. 579). 
A fine color effect is produced when this pedestal is covered 
with dark red material, upon which rests, to all appear- 
ances, the pure white marble bust. In covering the top of 
the pedestal cut the cloth to extend around over the open- 
ing at the back, and it can be fastened down after the bust is 
in place. For this statue the front light 

Qmust not be too strong and its full force 
should be concentrated on the head and 
bust, leaving the arms in shadow. 
Another quite wonderful effect is 



Portrait Medallion 



To produce this set a frame up near the 
front of the stage, over which is tightly 
Fig. 580. stretched the black material of the back- 

ground. In the centre sew a piece of white cloth cut in 
an elliptical shape, about two and a half feet long by two 
feet wide (Fig. 580). Make a laurel wreath of white paper 







Statuary Tableaux 



287 



leaves fastened on wire stems and tie at the bottom a bow 

of white ribbon. Sew or pin the wreath upon the black 

background, near enough to 

allow its inner leaves to lap 

over the white. Cut in the 

medallion, and through the 

background, a hole the shape 

of, but smaller than, the head 

and bust. This should be 

experimented with on other 

material before the medallion 

is cut, so that no mistake be 

made. 

The medallion must be 
placed at a height easily 
reached by the standing fig- 
ure of the person posing for 
the portrait. The head is 
thrust through the hole, then 
turned to present a profile 
view, while the shoulder is 
held back that it may not protrude too far through the 
opening. The illustration shows the effect of this tableau. 

An Egyptian Statue 
is an innovation in statuary tableaux which will receive a 
warm welcome, but, like the others, it must be well carried 
out to be a success. The figure and everything pertaining 
to it must be of one color, not white this time, but gray, all 
gray, to represent stone. 

Study the pictures of old Egyptian statues ; notice the 
costumes, and copy one carefully in gray canton flannel. 
Gray stockings must be worn and gray sandals, or the sandals 




288 



What a Girl Can Do 



may be omitted. Paint the face, arms, and neck with gray 
pastel, rubbing it on lavishly ; this has been used without any 
harmful effect and is easily washed off with warm water and 
pure soap. Cover the hair with the typical Egyptian head- 
dress (Fig. 581), made of a square of the gray material. Make 
a seat for the statue of a box 
which should be only wide 
enough to be comfortable 
and of a height to allow of 
a footstool under the feet. 
Nail a board the width of 
the box to the back to form 
a back for the seat and let it 
be high enough to extend a 
few inches above the statue's 
head when she is seated. 
Cover the chair and foot- 
stool with the gray canton 
flannel. 

The Egyptian statue must 
be stiff and formal, seated on 





Fig. 581. 
Front View. 



her chair as in Fig. 581, with hands on knees and feet to- 
gether. The entire absence of graceful curves of body or 
drapery makes a charming contrast to the other statues. 
In statuary tableaux the eyes must be kept closed, except 
in the tableau of Galatea, and the eyelids should be as 
white as the rest of the face. The eyelids of the Egyptian 
statue must, of course, be gray. 

Pygmalion and Galatea 

This tableau includes the sculptor as well as the statue, 
and requires a little acting on the part of the statue — herein 
lies the surprise. 






Statuary Tableaux 



289 



The tableau illustrates the old story of the Greek 
sculptor Pygmalion, who fell in love with the statue he had 
made, and prayed to the gods to endow it with life. His 
prayer is granted 
and the statue, Gala- 
tea, gradually awak- 
ens. 

When the curtain 
is drawn aside, Pyg- 
malion, dressed in 
Greek costume of 
brilliant colors (to 
contrast with the 
white statue), is seen 
kneeling with arms 
extended at the feet 
of Galatea, who 
stands in the pose 
shown in " first po- 
sition" of the illus- 
tration. 

Pygmalion main- 
tains his position 
without moving 
while Galatea awak;- 




First Position. 




Second Position. 



ens. 



Standing, as in " first position," with bent head, closed 
eyes and clasped hands, the right foot a little in advance of 
the other, the weight of the body resting principally upon 
the left, Galatea slowly, very slowly, unclasps her hands 
and gradually separates them. The left hand moves out 
from her side while the right hand, at the same time, is lifted 
outward and upward to her throat, " second position." 
19 



290 



What a Girl Can Do 



Keeping the left arm extended a little from her side, the 
hand slightly raised and fingers bent, she continues to raise 
her right hand until it covers her eyes, at the same time 
swinging her body around, bearing the weight heavily on 
the left foot, until the " third position " is assumed. Holding 

this pose for an 

instant, she turns 

slowly back again, 

lifting her hand 

until it shades her 

eyes; she then raises 

her chin and bends 

slightly forward as 

she opens her eyes 

and beholds Pyg- 
malion. This is the 

" fourth position." 
Again she pauses 

for an instant, then 

by slow degrees the 

left arm is raised 

while the right one 

is lowered and the 

hands are held out 

in welcome, as in the 

" fifth and last posi- 
tion." 
At no time must the arms form parallel lines ; even at 
the last the extended arms should be bent very slightly out- 
ward at the elbows. The two sharp angles, formed by 
bending the elbows in the same direction at the same 
moment, should be especially avoided. At all times during 
the awakening Galatea must be so posed that her move'- 




Third Position. 




Fourth Position 



Statuary Tableaux 



29! 



merits might, at any 
be found standing 
charming position, 
can only be ob- 
awkward nesses 
tice before a large 
every movement 
the body may be 

No quick or sud- 
marthe beautifully 
all should be as 
folding of the 
until the climax is 
Galatea extends 
waiting and ex- 
and the curtain is 

There is no 
cess of the tableau 
of silent acting is 
it makes an excel- 
up piece to an 
tertainment. 



moment, be stopped and she would 
in a graceful and 
Success in this 
tained, and little 
avoided, by prac- 
mir ror, where 
and every curve of 
seen. 

den motion must 
slow awakening ; 
gradual as the un- 
petals of a rose 
reached, where 
her arms to the 
pectant Pygmalion 
dropped. 

doubt of the sue- 
when this little bit 
well done, and 
lent winding- 
evening's en- 
Fifth Position. 




CHAPTER XXV 



WITCHERY 



SSURED of their welcome, laughter, jollity, 
and mystery all attend the Halloween 
frolics which are given up to sports with 
kale, apples, nuts, mirror, etc. These ordi- 
narily commonplace articles are claimed, on 
this eventful eve, to be touched with magic, 
endowed with the power of prophecy and 
enabled to tell of wonderful adventure or 
fortune which will befall any one who puts 
their virtues to the test. And it is Hallow- 
een, of all the nights in the year, that is 
best loved by the sprightly little fairies, 
gnomes, and elves, who delight in sallying 
forth from their homes under stones and in 
old hollow trees to play pranks on us poor mortals. The 
witches also are out, flying through the air to their annual 
dance, on their queer steeds, either cats or broomsticks. 

James Hogg's poem, " The Witch of Fife," gives a com- 
ical description of the witch who flew out of the lum (chim- 
ney) and left her husband, who soon followed with his coat 
" waffling in the wynde." The witches' rides would not be 
apt to injure old broomsticks, but should you happen to see 
any cats the morning after Halloween, notice how tired the 
poor creatures look after carrying the witches all night ! 
That is why the Scotch lads and lassies pity the pussies. 

292 




Witchery 293 

Of course, there are really no fairies, genii, or witches ; 
they are all only " make-believe." Nor are we to put any 
faith in 

Halloween Fortunes, 

for these are merely tried to furnish sport for the time and 
to make us merry ; a hearty laugh of itself is good fortune. 
Often it is the best kind of medicine. 
Whether you will be 

Rich or Poor 

can be ascertained with three saucers. Fill one with salt, 
which, being white, stands for silver ; another with corn- 




Fig. 582. 

meal, signifying gold, its color being yellow ; while the. 
third remains empty (Fig. 582). If you dip your left hand 
into the cornmeal, you will be very wealthy ; if into the 
salt, you will be comfortable, but lack the luxuries of life ; 
if into the empty saucer, you will be obliged to work hard 
for a living. 

Feather Tests 

To foretell the complexion of your future mate, select 
three of the softest and fluffiest feathers you can obtain. If 
none is handy, take a pillow and rip open the end seam 
about an inch or so, making the hole scarcely large enough 
to admit of your pulling out a few feathers with the thumb 
and forefinger. The little opening can be sewed up again 
in a moment's time. On the bottom end of each downy 
messenger fasten a small piece of paper ; a drop of paste or 
mucilage will be sufficient to gum all three in place. Write 



294 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 



the word " Blond " on one paper ; on another, " Brunette," 
and on the last, " Medium." Label the papers before gluing 
them on the feathers (Fig. 583). With your right hand 
daintily hold up one feather, by its top, in front of you, and 





IT 



vm 



tylcktMfi— 




l_j/crvtCL. 

B 



Fig. 583. 



gently send it flying with a puff of breath. Do the same 
with the next, and also with the last one ; the feather land- 
ing nearest to you denotes the complexion of your true love. 
To make the test sure, try the charm three times, but be 
careful not to use too much force when blowing the feathers. 
For the 

Touchstone Charm 

seven small, clean stones are required — six of the common 
grayish color, the seventh white. 

All should be as 
nearly as possible the 
same in shape and size 
(Fig. 584). After being 
Fig. 584. blindfolded and having 

the position of the stones changed on the platter, describe a 
circle in the air three times with your left hand, at the last 
bringing the forefinger down on one of the stones. Try the 







<*lfc 



Witchery 295 

charm three times. Should you touch the white one twice 
your life will be full of light and happiness ; if the gray 
twice falls to your share there will be shadows with the light. 

New Friends 

Old friends are treasures and cannot be too highly val- 
ued, but new ones also frequently prove to be added joys in 
our lives. To determine how many new friends you will 
find in the ensuing year, count the number of buttons on 
the dress or coat of the first person the fairies send to you 
after twelve o'clock at noon on October 31st. Should some- 
one enter whose clothing shows no buttons, you will be 
obliged to rest contented with the friends you now possess, 
as no more will be added to the list until the expiration of a 
year. 

Naming the Bedposts 

Before going to sleep on the last night of October name 
each of the four bedposts, the first being " Art " ; the sec- 
ond, " Science " ; the third, " Literature " ; and the fourth, 
" Business." The post you see first upon awakening will 
denote the pursuit in which you will delight. Should your 
eyes first rest upon the post called " Art," many beautiful 
things are in store for you. If the " Science " post is first 
seen, you will rejoice in deep learning, etc. Be sure not to 
get the posts confused ; remember the order in which they 
have been named. 

Witch Writing 

Should you wish to know how any one of your friends 
may feel toward you, here is the test. Write your name 
out in full (Fig. 585 — we will suppose the name to be yours). 
Under your name write that of a friend (Fig. 586), then 
carefully cancel all letters in the coupled names which are 



296 



What a Girl Can Do 



the same (Fig. 587). Let us go over the first two names 

that we may thoroughly understand how it is done. Take 

,y . the first letter in the first name — K ; 

KaJAu^u. <ZJ/im2?L you will not find the same letter in 

Fig. 585. either Mary or Hallon. Take the 

next letter — a ; there it is in Mary and in Hallon. We will 

cross out all the a's. There are no t's in the lower name, so 









Fig. 586. Fig. 587- 

we so on to the next letter — h — which is an initial in Hal- 
Ion and again occurs in Smith. 



Cancel them all. There 




i 






£rv^L 





{T sS^^t™?- 



>s 



Fig. 588. 

are no e's, but we find r and n in the other name. Mark 
them both. I is not repeated in the lower name, and in 



Witchery 297 

Smith we find only m (h being previously cancelled), which 
is the first letter in Mary. Cross them out, then repeat 
aloud these potent words : 

" Friendship — Love — Indifference — Hate, " 

giving - each cancelled letter one word in the magic order 
(Fig. 588). In this way you find that the girls love each 
other. Try your name with a number of others. The re- 
sults constantly vary. Couple two friends' names together 
and put them to the test. 

Home or Travel 

Apple-seeds, too, will act as charms. Stick one on each 
eyelid and name one " Home " and the other "Travel." If 
the seed named " Travel " stays on longer than the other, 
you will go on a journey before the year expires. If 
" Home " clings better, you will remain at home. Again, 
take all the apple-seeds, place them on the back of your 
outspread left hand and with your loosely clenched right 
hand strike the palm of the left. This will cause some, if 
not all, of the seeds to fall. Those left on your hand show 
the number of 

Letters 

you will receive in the coming fortnight. Should all the 
seeds drop, you must wait patiently for your mail. 

Your Fate 

Gather up all the seeds and make them do duty again. 
There must be twelve of the little brown charms. Put them 
carefully to one side while you cut twelve slips of blank 
paper exactly alike and on one side of each write the name of 
a friend. Turn them all over with the blanks uppermost 



298 IVhat a Girl Can Do 

and mix them so you will not know which is which ; then 
holding the seeds in your left hand repeat this verse : 

" One I love, 
Two I love, 

Three I love, I say ; 
Four I love with all my heart and 

Five I cast away. 
Six he loves, 
Seven she loves, 
Eight they both love ; 

Nine he comes, 
Ten he tarries, 

Eleven he courts and 
Twelve he marries." 

Stop at each line to place a seed on one of the papers, 
and then turn the slip over to discover the name of the one 
you love or cast away, as it happens. Continue matching 
each apple-seed with a piece of named paper, as you count, 
until all twelve seeds and papers are used. It is both sur- 
prising and interesting to have one's fate forecast in this 
way. 

" Bobby " Burns's well-known poem " Halloween " tells 
of many charms and spells to be tried on " Witch Night." 

Dreams 

mean much on Halloween, but certain ceremonies must be 
carefully followed in order to insure the spell. Before 
going to sleep for the night have someone bring you a small 
piece of dry bread. No word should be spoken after this ; 
silence must invariably prevail. Eat the bread slowly, at 
the same time making a wish and thinking of the pleasant- 
est things imaginable. Then smilingly drop off to sleep, and 
your dreams in the land of Morpheus will be sweet and 



Witchery 299 

peaceful, and your wish will come true if the charm works 
in the way it should. 

Here is an old verse on 

Shooting Stars 
which has been handed down for generations : 

" If I a shooting star can see 
And before it falls count one, two, three, 
I'll find my love in the nearest tree, 
For I hunt him and he hunts me." 

Watch for the star and when it comes, if your courage 
does not fail, look up a tree. Though you may possibly not 
find the desired sweetheart, you can make a wish on the 
shooting star, at the same time repeating these lines : 

" Star, star, bright star light, 
First star I have seen to-night, 
I wish I may, I wish I might, 
Have the wish I wish to-night.'' 

An entertainment suitable for any season of the year is 
called the 

Ghost Ideas 

It is intended only for the older girls, not being adapted 
to little ones. The ghosts are jolly, bright, realistic beings, 
full of fun, who, being invited to your house, enter heartily 
into the frolic, each doing her best to make the enter- 
tainment a success. All the prominent past century 
ghosts must be included in the party. Artistic, dramatic, 
historic, literary, and political ghosts should be present, also 
the spirit of customs, ideas, events, and things belonging to 
the past century. Summon your fellow-ghosts to haunt 



300 What a Girl Can Do 

your house three hours before midnight, appearing in cos- 
tumes appropriate to their earthly existence. 

Tell them that not a word must be spoken until the com- 
pany is relieved from the spell of silence and state in your 
invitation that all ghosts are expected to promptly signify 
their acceptance in writing, otherwise they will not be ad- 
mitted to the haunt. 

When the ghosts have assembled each character should 
be announced as she enters the reception-room, where the 
hostess and one or two other spirits of the occasion await 
the arrivals. The announcement must be made in clear, 
well-enunciated tones, and always be prefaced by the words 
" The Ghost." Guests after their introduction are allowed 
to speak and they should talk and act as nearly as possible 
like the spirits they represent. The event will then be a 
success if carefully planned, and you will have given to 
your friends a novel and delightful treat. 

Fortune's Wheel 

is a midsummer game for little folks. Such a beautiful, 
long day for a holiday, and no one remembers to keep 
it now, although many, many years ago Midsummer 
Day, the longest day in the year, was looked forward 
to with as much pleasure as we find in the anticipation of 
Christmas. 

The people had strange beliefs in those days, and they 
thought a being called Fortune would send them gifts on 
this holiday if they went through certain performances to 
gain her good-will. 

Now suppose we make believe, for a time, there is such 
a person as Fortune, and one of you shall play her part, and 
we will have a game of " Fortune's Wheel," which will be 






Witchery 



301 



very appropriate and interesting for June 21st. At one 
end of the lawn we will mark off as many spaces, six 
feet square, as there are players, not count- 
ing Fortune. 

Rope or twine tied to the fence 
at the back, and to stakes driven 




into the ground in 

front, as seen in the 

illustration, will 
mark the boundaries nicely, and we 
will tie some small flags or bright- 
colored streamers to the tops of the 
stakes to make them look pretty. These spaces we will call 
Stalls. About ten yards from the stalls, and directly in front 



302 What a Girl Can Do 

of them, we must stretch a rope, tying it to stakes or trees, 
so that Fortune shall be kept within bounds. 

Now bring your rolling-hoop, and we will turn it into 
Fortune's wheel by tacking two tapes across it, as shown in 
the diagram. In the centre, where the tapes cross, we will 
tie a little bag, which is to hold a gift. 

Simple little toys, bonbons, and cake, only one at a time, 
however, are the gifts Fortune's wheel will carry. 

Come, little girl, whoever is to be Fortune, whip out your 
handkerchief and tie up your eyes, for Fortune must be 
always blindfolded ; then stand by the rope, which will keep 
you from going too far away. 

The rest of you scamper off and take your places, each 
one in a stall. 

Now, Fortune, walk up and down a little that you may 
not know exactly where you are ; then, standing so that you 
can reach the rope with your hand, take your wheel and 
strike it hard, sending it down toward the other players. 

Whoever catches Fortune's wheel may have the gift it 
carries, but no one must go beyond his stall to reach it. The 
wheel must enter a stall before it can be caught by the player 
in that stall, and when it enters a stall and falls to the ground 
before being caught, the player whose stall it is in must 
change places with Fortune, become Fortune, and roll the 
wheel. When the wheel stops before reaching the stalls 
and does not enter any of them it must be carried back to 
Fortune, who will roll it again. 

Each time before the wheel is started the players in the 
stalls must change places. 

When one gift has been won and taken from the bag put 
another in its place and Fortune will roll the wheel until all 
the gifts are gone and the game ended. 



CHAPTER XXVI 




LIVING ALPHABET 

HARACTERS: All the letters of the 
alphabet, half girls, half boys ; teacher. 

COSTUMES : Girls dressed entirely in 
red, boys in white. TeacJier wears a pretty 
Dolly Varden costume , and carries a white 
switch tied with red ribbo7i. 

The back of the stage is decorated with 
palms and other greens. The overture is 
played, which glides into a march as the 
curtain rises. 



Enter the teacher and letters from the right. The letters 
march in single file in the order of the alphabet {alternately a 
girl and boy) headed by the teacher, who keeps time with her 
switch. After crossing the stage the teacher leaves the proces- 
sion and stands at the left. The letters turn, march back to the 
right behind the advancing line, turn again, forming a reversed 
S, march to the left, then around the front of the stage to the 
right, marching in a circle until a half circle is formed at the 
back of the stage, zvhere they halt and remain standing. Fig. 
589 shoivs the order of march. As the letters enter they carry 
their shields on their left arms ; as they turn to the right they 
shift them onto their right arms, always keeping the face of the 
shield toward the audience. When standing the shield is held 
with both hands directly in front so that the letters may be 
plainly visible. 

3°3 



304 What a Girl Can Do 

Teacher. Attention ! Present a greeting to our 
friends ! 

The letters A E L S T U step to the front of the stage 
and stand in line. 

Teacher. Well, what do you say ? 

The letters change places and form the word SALUTE. 

Teacher. Very good. Retire to your places. 

The letters step back in line of the alphabet. 

Teacher. We all know the alphabet is made up of two 
families. The name of one family is Vowel, and the name 

J? / ^ — J \ 






V 



-A- 
\ 



Fig. 589. 

of the other is Consonant. The vowels will please step for- 
ward. 

The letters A E I O U advance to the front. 

Teacher. There are two step-sisters which we some- 
times call Vowels. Where are they ? 

The letters W and Y join the others. 

Teacher. That will do. 

The vowels return to their places. 

Teacher. Consonants come forward ! 

All of the letters except A E I O U W and Y advance 
then W and Y join the consonants. 






Living Alphabet 



305 



Teacher. Very well. 

The letters return to their places. 

Teacher. We will now have our spelling-class, and be 
careful that you spell correctly. The letters for "Cat" 
step forward. 

The letters ACT run 
to the front and stand 
spelling ACT. 

Teacher. You are 
not spelling- "Cat." Try 
again. 

The letters shift their 
position to form TAC. 

Teacher. Dear me! 
You haven't got it right 
yet. I'm surprised ! 

The letters change, 
forming the word CAT. 

Teacher. Right at 
last. Now spell some- 
thing that cats love. 

The letters NIP join 
CAT, spelling CATNIP. 

Teacher. Can you 
spell another word ? 

C turns her back, while the others change places to 
spell PAINT. 

Teacher. Another. 

P turns his back, and the rest spell ANTIC. 

Teacher. Spell one more word. 

P remains with his back to the audience, I turns away, 
and the others spell CANT, and then return to their places 
in the alphabet line. 




306 



What a Girl Can Do 



Teacher. Are you ready for your grammar ? 
The letters YES run to the front, spell YES, and then 

retire. 

Teacher. Well, 
then, we will try verbs. Verbs 
signify action. Give me a 
word that denotes action. 
The letters remain quiet. 
Teacher. I will illustrate. 
Your sister runs. What does that 
signify ? 

The letters A M O U S E run 
out, spell A MOUSE, and return. 
Teacher. We will try conju- 
gating the verb " to be." It be- 
gins: I am, you are — well? 

The letters TIRED walk 
slowly forward, spell TIRED, and 
return to their places. 

Teacher. So am I ; we might 
sit. What do we stand for? 

Here, for the first time, the letters 
speak. A steps forward two steps, 
anszvers immediately, and steps backward to her place. TJien B 
does the same, followed by each letter of the alphabet in turn. 




A. 


A 


B. 


B 


C. 


C 


D. 


D 


E. 


E 


F. 


F 


G. 


G 



stands for Action, and that means to run. 
stands for Baker and also for Bun. 
stands for Catnip, the best of all tea. 
stands for Darling, and that stands for me. 
stands for Emerald, a most precious stone, 
stands for Fun and my own Funny-bone, 
stands for Gold, which is yellow and bright 



Living Alphabet 



3o7 



for Hope, Heaven, Holy and Height. 

for Ink, which is not a good toy. 

for Jelly and Jumping and Joy. 

for Kitchen with a dear little stove. 

for Laddie and Labor and Love. 

for Maiden and Merry and May. 

for Nonsense and Noddle and Neigh. 

for Omelet and Only and Off. 

for Painter and Palace and Puff. 

for Quaker and Quiet and Queer. 

for Rabbit and Racing and Rear. 

for Sampler and Sewing and Shears. 

for Taffy and Tar-drops and Tears. 

for Upper and Under and Urn. 

for Vane, which the winds always turn. 

for Winter, snowy and white. 

for Xylite, I think I am right. 

for Yes, but never for no. 

for Zero, and now we must go. 



H. 


H 


stands f< 


I. 


I 


stands f< 


J. 


J 


stands f< 


K. 


K 


stands f 


L. 


L 


stands f 


M. 


M 


stands f< 


N. 


N 


stands f< 


O. 


O 


stands fc 


P. 


P 


stands f( 


Q. 


Q 


stands f< 


R. 


R 


stands f( 


S. 


S 


stands f 


T. 


T 


stands f< 


U. 


U 


stands f< 


V. 


V 


stands f< 


W. 


W stands f< 


X. 


X 


stands f< 


Y. 


Y 


stands f< 


Z. 


Z 


stands f 



Music. Here the march music strikes up, the pianist play- 
ing " Marching TJirougli Georgia." 

The teacher leads the procession, and the letters follow, sing- 
ing to the air " Marching Through Georgia " these words: 

We are going now, Alphabet at play, 
Holding in our hands all that's grave or gay ; 
See how we are marching all the letters in array, 
Marching onward to Dreamland 

Chorus. 

Speak low, speak low, we sing a lullaby; 
Speak low, speak low, pray children do not cry, 
Though we now must leave you and say a sweet — 



308 What a Girl Can Do 

Here the letters G O Q D B Y leave the ranks and stand at 
the front of the stage. D places his hand over the quirk of the 
letter Q, making it an O, and they form the word GOOD-BY. 

The march has carried the rest of the letters to the back, 
where they stand in a semicircle. The music accommodates 
itself to the movement, so that the GOOD-BY comes in at the 
right time, then all take tip the song again with the words : 

While we are marching to Dreamland. 

Curtain. 

After-word 

The endeavor throughout this little play has been to 
keep it as simple as possible and quite within the capacity 
of the children taking part. The girls and boys should be 
well drilled in the marches, that they may keep step and 
perfect time, also in the song; and they should know to a 
certainty what places they are to take in spelling the words. 
Then if, when speaking, they enunciate clearly and speak 
slowly the success of the play is assured. Very slowly and 
clearly each word must be spoken, otherwise the meaning 
and point will be lost. 

The character of the teacher should be taken by a 
young girl old enough to lead and direct children. The 
marches may be as elaborate as the manager chooses, but 
they should not be too long or intricate. 

The shields are made of heavy white card-board after 
the pattern shown in Fig. 590, and the handles are strips of 
tin fastened in the middle of the shield. To secure the han- 
dle in place, with a sharp knife cut two horizontal slits 
about one inch long in the shield near the centre. These 
must be about five inches apart, and one directly over 
the other. Then make two more slits of the same size, 






m. - 



Living Alphabet 



309 




Fig. 59°- 



one two inches above the top slit, the other two inches 
below the bottom slit. Pass one end of the tin through the 
lower top slit, working from the inside of 
the shield, and bend the end up, slipping 
it back through the upper top slit as if 
taking a stitch ; then fasten the end by 
bending it up close to the inner surface of 
the shield. Care must be taken not to 
tear the card-board during this process. 
Now reverse the order of work, and pass- 
ing the other end of this tin through the 
two lower slits in the shield, fasten it 
by bending the end down. The loop of the handle must 
be sufficiently large to allow a child's hand to slide in and 
grasp it easily. When the tin is well wrapped in strips of 
cotton cloth there is no danger of a cut from the sharp 
edges. 

Large black letters are either painted on the shields or 
cut from black paper or cloth and pasted on. These letters 
must be simple and plain in design, that they may be 
instantly recognized. All the shields should be of one size, 
and as a rule should reach from the shoulder almost to the 
knee of the bearer. The children, also, should be as nearly 
of one height as possible. 



CHAPTER XXVII 



ODD GARDENS 



'UMMER is coming! Don't you see 
it? Don't you feel it? Even while 
the trees are still leafless and the 
grass-plots still brown we know 
spring is here, almost as the plants 
themselves know it, by the surging 
up of new life in our veins. 

We open wide our windows to let 
the sweet sunshine in and make ready 
to welcome the blessed summer so 
near at hand. 

What if you cannot leave the city, 
as some do, to enjoy the delights of a summer in the coun- 
try ; what if you have not even a foot of ground, you may 
still have some of the sweets with which summer is so lavish ; 
you may, nevertheless, have your flower-garden. Summer 
will help you grow your plants. The sun is knocking now 
on your window, bidding you prepare the ground for sum- 
mer to make fruitful. 




A Country Garden in the City 

A real hanging garden, with creeping vines and fragrant 
flowers, will prove a delight, and it may be yours though 
your window is your only garden plot. 

310 



Odd Gardens 



3ii 



Take your tape-measure and find the width of your 
window. It is about three feet wide, isn't it ? Well, it 
doesn't matter. Whatever the width, add two feet more 
and you have the 
length for your gar- 
den. Thus, for a 
three-foot window 
you will have a five- 
foot garden. Go to 
the planing-mill and 
select a wide board 
of that length. See 
that it is without 
flaws, and do not be 
afraid of having it 
thick, for it must 
bear a heavy weight. 
Buy a pair of strong 
iron brackets, or s, 
very likely at the^ 
mill they will give ^ 
you two three-cor- 
nered pieces of 
board like Fig. 591, 
which will answer 
the purpose as well. 

With screws fasten these brackets to the 
board, about half a foot from each end, as in 
Fig. 592. Near the back edge of the board, directly above 
the two brackets, screw in good-sized screw-eyes, as shown 
by A, B, Fig. 592. Measure the distance from the bottom 
edge of your board to the top of the screw-eye, as desig- 
nated by the dotted line C in Fig. 593, and fasten strong 




312 



What a Girl Can Do 



hooks in the outer wall on either side of your window at the 
same distance above the window-sill. Be careful about 
your measurements and have your hooks just as far apart 




I 



f 



Fig- 59i- 



Fig. 592. 




Fig. 593- 



as the screw-eyes. Go to a hardware store and get a 
piece of wire netting, such as is used for fences, long- 
enough to go around the front and 
side edges of your board. Have three 
strips cut from it, 
one eighteen inches 
wide for your gar- 
den fence, the other Fig. 594. 
two each twelve inches wide and about three feet long 
for trellises for your vines. Fit the fence around the board, 
bending it sharply at the corners, and tack in place along 
the edge of the board, using double tacks, called staple 
tacks, for the purpose. Paint the board and wire netting 
dark green, and, when dry, lift it out of the window, 
and, resting the board on the outside window-sill, slip the 
screw-eyes on the hooks in the wall, as in Fig. 59 2 - 
With two staple tacks fasten the ends of the fence to the 
wall. 



j 



Odd Gardens 313 



Now you are 

Ready for Your Boxes 

Get two strong wooden ones from your grocer, about eight 
inches deep and of a size to fit the board at either side of 
your window, and another to fit between the two end ones. 
Bore several holes in the bottom of each box, bind the edges 
where they meet with strips of tin, as shown by the dark 
strips in Fig. 594. Have the tinsmith cut the tin the re- 
quired lengths and also bend it to fit your boxes. It will 
then be easy work to tack it on yourself. 

Binding the boxes in this way makes them strong and 
prevents their bursting apart, as they are very apt to do 
with nothing to stay them. Paint the boxes dark green, 
like the board, and on the bottom of each place a layer of 
charcoal, next a layer of sand and then fill with earth, 
enriched with fertilizer obtained at the drug-store. Weave 
two straight sticks, about four feet long, in and out through 
each piece of wire netting for your trellises. Stand a trellis 
upright in either end box by pushing the end of the sticks 
deep into the soil. 

It is a country, not a city, garden you want, is it not?. 
Then don't be persuaded into buying geraniums, fuchsias, 
verbenas, etc. They are very lovely, but you can have 
them all winter long, if you wish. What you are trying 
for now is 

A Real Summer Garden 

— one where you plant the seeds and have the excitement 
of seeing them come up, then watching them grow, and 
finally of discovering the first buds which so soon are to 
blossom and reward you with their beauty and fragrance 
for all the care bestowed upon them. 



314 What a Girl Can Do 

Have you ever seen the hop-vine ? It is very pretty, with 
its soft festoons of feathery tassels. The hop-vine, running 
up the trellis on one side of the window ; the red bean, with 
its scarlet blossoms, on the other, will bring a bit of the 
country to you as little else can. 

Around the front and side edges of the end boxes plant 
nasturtium seeds, and midsummer will find a wealth of 
tangled vines and fragrant flowers which will clamber over, 
under, and through your fence in wild abandon. 

In the middle box plant bachelor's-buttons (corn-flowers), 
which blossom from July to late autumn with white, blue, 
and pink flowers. Plant also mignonette for its sweetness, 
and, to complete the country effect, add lady-slippers. 

All these flowers are raised from the seed, except the 
hop-vine. For this you will have to get the " sets," which 
are the underground stems of the old vines cut into pieces. 
Three or four "sets" planted together will give you a nice 
vine. 

One of the oddest of odd gardens is 

A Water Garden 

This, too, may be just outside your window if you are so 
fortunate as to have a balcony large enough to hold a good- 
sized tub ; or one corner of your backyard may perhaps be 
spared for a place in which to rear your water-babies. 

Half of a good, strong hogshead barrel makes a fine bed 
for a miniature pond ; a molasses barrel will answer or any 
kind of tank that will hold water and is at least two feet 
deep can be used for the purpose. 

Do not choose too shady a spot for your water garden. 
There are very few plants that are not the better for a little 
sunshine. An unsheltered corner which must endure the 
burning heat of the afternoon sun is also undesirable, but 



Odd Gardens 



315 



a place which only the morning sun can reach will be 
suited to almost any water plant. You will need 



Soil 

as well as water for this aquatic garden, and if you are 
living in the city it will be a good idea to take a trip to the 




■Water Garden. 



suburbs, where you can fill a tin pail with the muddy, fresh- 
water swamp soil. Failing that, you may procure from a 
florist some turfy loam and enrich it with a good fertilizer. 
Fill the bottom of your tank with the soil to the depth of 
one foot and plant your roots before adding the water. It 
is a good thing to anchor the plants with stones to prevent 
them from floating out of place when the water is poured in. 



316 What a Girl Can Do 

For most of your 

Water Plants 

you will probably have to visit the country, as there ap- 
pears to be no way of getting the simpler kinds but by 
going directly to Mother Nature and transplanting them 
from her garden to yours. 

Before starting on your search make inquiries and learn 
what you may expect to find in the various localities. 

Water lilies are not found on all ponds, but they are 
well worth any amount of travelling, and secure some you 
must, even if several trips have to be taken before they 
are discovered. 

There is a water garden in our neighborhood which is a 
source of great pleasure to its owner. Floating on the sur- 
face of the water in two great stone tanks are pond lilies of 
several varieties. As the great buds grow and unfold they 
are watched closely and with intense interest until they are 
suddenly found full-blown, fair and pure, a floating mass of 
loveliness. 

Any and every plant which grows in the ponds and 
swamps may be made to grow in an artificial pond or swamp 
in your own house or yard. The water arum or arrow- 
leaf ; the pickerel-weed, with its spikes of pale-blue flowers ; 
the sagittaria, whose flowers are white, and the water 
hyacinth are all pretty in the water garden. 

There are vines that grow readily in water which you 
can put around the edges of the tank, allowing them to hang 
over and partially hide the outside. The Wandering Jew is 
one which is very hardy and will droop in graceful festoons 
of green. It is not a water plant, but will thrive in water 
and should not be planted in the soil at the bottom, but 
allowed to send out its roots into the water near the surface. 



Odd Gardens 317 



Aquatic plants are the simplest of all kinds to transplant, 
because the sun does not wilt them when their roots are 
kept wet. Transfer the plants in baskets filled with wet 
moss, or make them in packages covered on all sides with 
several wrappings of wet paper. They can be preserved an 
indefinite length of time if kept wet. 

Cat-tail seeds will grow in mud ; so will other swamp 
plants, and a swamp garden, kept always wet, may be an 
accessory to your water garden. 

From time to time you must add fresh water to supply 
the loss by evaporation in the tanks, but as the growing 
things keep the water pure it does not need changing. 

You may arrange smaller and 

Simpler Water Gardens 

for the window in glass dishes or bowls, or even glass jars, 
and grow there the small and delicate water plants. Only 
a layer of clean sand is needed for soil, and some plants do 
not even require that. The water-milfoil is an ornamental 
little plant; the eel-grass which, growing at the bottom, 
sends up its long spiral stems to lift its blossoms above the 
water, is interesting, and the horn-wort and water-purslane 
do well in narrow quarters. The duck-weed is a surface 
plant which drops its slender roots into the water without 
touching soil. Besides these there are 

Plants Grown Artificially in Water 

A friend of mine tells the story of a morning-glory vine 
which, growing in water, draped her window luxuriantly 
and even blossomed in a timid way. This plant was taken 
from the garden when its stem was several inches long and 
placed in a bottle of water, where it sent out more roots 
and grew rapidly. 



31 8 What a Girl Can Do 

It is possible, too, and is a very pretty experiment, to 
start the seeds without soil. Among the plants in my 
studio window, a short time ago, was a green glass finger- 
bowl filled nearly to the brim with water. On the surface 
of the water rested two layers of raw cotton cut to fit the 
bowl, and on top of the cotton were scattered a number of 
morning-glory seeds. They lay quietly on their soft, float- 
ing bed for a few days, then the seeds began to send out 
white worm-like shoots, and shortly there appeared on each 
a pair of small heart-shaped leaves tightly clasped together 
at the top by the now empty seed-shell. Soon down into 
the water, piercing the cotton, little thread-like roots made 
their way, growing thicker in mass and stronger as the 
young plants shot up in a wonderful growth. We watched 
them from their birth until they were three or four inches 
high, when an accident brought their existence to a close 
and our experiment to an untimely end. 

Almost any seeds will sprout when treated in this man- 
ner, and in order to keep the water pure during the waiting 
period it is well to drop into it several small pieces of 
charcoal. Charcoal is a great purifier and its use is advisa- 
ble in all water gardens. 

The Green Sponge 

appears quite marvellous to one who sees it for the first 
time. Take a large, rather coarse sponge, put it in a glass 
bowl, sprinkle it with sand and give it as much water as it 
will hold, then scatter all over it flaxseed or mustard seed, 
clover seed or buckwheat and place in your window. It 
will not be long before you have a sponge of living green, 
the secret of whose beauty lies in its being kept always 
wet. 



Odd Gardens 



319 



Vegetables 

of the tuber variety will grow, not in the water, but with 
water in them. The sweet potato, which puts forth a 
pretty vine, the white potato and the turnip have all 
proved successful experiments in my window, and it is said 
that the carrot and parsnip can be 
made to grow in the same way ; 
their tendency, however, is to split 
at the sides, which allows the water 
to escape and causes them to dry 
up. I am told that another way to 
grow them is to immerse each half 
way in a bottle of water, keeping 
the vegetable suspended by means 
of a darning-needle thrust through 
it and resting on the edge of the 
bottle. In selecting potatoes 
choose those which have a num- 
ber of well-developed " eyes," and 
avoid the sweet potatoes which 
look temptingly clean and smooth. 
In nearly every case these are kiln- 
dried, or dried by artificial means, 
and no amount of coaxing will 
induce them to sprout. 

Take a large potato which will hold considerable water 
when hollowed out, cut off One end and clean out the inside 
to the depth of several inches. Puncture holes on opposite 
sides about half an inch from the edge, pass one end of 
a string through each hole and tie, leaving a loop at the top 
(Fig. 595), then fill with water and hang at the side of your 




Fig. 595- 



320 What a Girl Can Do 

window, where it will not touch the glass nor get the direct 
rays of the sun. 

In preparing the turnip remember to turn it upside 
down, as it is the root end you are to cut off ; this is pointed 
and generally ends in a string-like root ; the leaves sprout 
from the other end and form a pretty foliage. The turnip 
will not only send out its own leaves, but vines may be 
planted inside which will grow down to meet the upward 
growing leaves of the vegetable. 

English ivy grows well in water, and you all know that 
the Japanese lily requires only a layer of pebbles in a dish of 
water to grow and blossom most beautifully. Hyacinths in 
their own peculiar glasses are also raised entirely in water. 

Of other odd gardens which are full of interest there 
is one called a 

Friendship Garden 

This is composed entirely of plants given by various friends 
of the owner, and each plant is called by the name of the 
giver. Devote one flower-bed, large or small as the case 
requires, to your friendship collection, and set out all your 
plants there. They will probably form a strange medley; 
but so much the better, it will only make the queer garden 
the more interesting. Roses, geraniums, lilies, fuchsias, 
heliotrope, sweet violets — sheltered from too great heat by 
the larger plants — verbenas and mignonette may all grow 
in this odd companionship. Endeavor not to crowd them 
too closely and study the habits of each plant, that it may 
be kept from encroaching upon the rights of its neighbor, if 
aggressive, or be crowded out of existence if of a retiring 
and yielding nature. Give all equal care, and your love for 
each plant and its giver will also grow and blossom in a 
way most sweet and marvellous. 



Odd Gardens 321 



The Memory Garden 

is in reality a collection of souvenir plants brought from 
various places one has visited. 

You may have your memory garden in your window if 
you like, for your plants will probably not be large and 
very likely will do best each in its separate flower-pot 
with soil adapted to its needs. 

From various parts of the United States, from foreign 
countries, from places of historical and geographical inter- 
est you can bring mementoes for your garden that will 
be beautifulreminders of the pleasant scenes and incidents 
of your travels. 

21 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



ACTIVE GAMES 



Weavers and Weft 




N this game there are two sides, so 
that only an equal number can take 
part. Each player is provided with a 
new, shallow tin pan, the parties then 
separate, and stand in two lines, facing 
each other, about eight or ten feet 
apart. 

The starter at the head of one of the 
lines fastens one end of a ball of yarn to 
a door-knob or chair just behind her 
and, putting the ball on her pan, tosses 
it to the player directly opposite, who 
endeavors to catch it on his pan, and 
toss it to the person on the other side, who stands next to 
the starter. 

The third player in turn sends it back to the one stand- 
ing second on the opposite side (Fig. 596). 

In this order, going back and forth, the ball travels 
down the ranks. 

When it reaches the end of the line, it is started back 
again, and kept going until the yarn is all unwound. 

In no case may the ball be touched with the hands. 
When it falls to the floor, it must be lifted up with the pan 
by the player who drops or fails to catch it, and when the 

322 






Active Games 



323 



yarn fastens itself to the clothing, or becomes entwined 
around the body of a player, it must not be touched, no 
matter how much it may inconvenience the movements. 
Great care should be taken not to break the thread, any- 




Fig. 596.— Weavers and Weft. 



one doing so is counted out of the game, she cannot leave 
her place, however, for moving may disturb the yarn at- 
tached to others. The ends of the broken yarn must be 
tied together before the game is resumed. 

When the yarn is all unwound it is the object of each 
player to loosen himself from the tangle without breaking 
the thread. 

The time must be noted and five minutes only be allowed 
for the disentanglement. 

At the end of this time the side which has the greatest 
number of members free from the meshes of yarn wins the 
game. 

The flashing of the bright tin pans, the struggles of the 
players to catch the ball and elude the loose thread, the 



324 



What a Girl Can Do 



comically careful movements of those who have become 
entangled in the yarn, all tend to make the game a very 
merry one, to the lookers-on as well as the participants. 

Hoop Dance 

Some of the games played with wooden hoops are full 
of fun, and the constant changing of position of the players 
forms a very pretty moving picture for the spectator. 

Four boys and four girls make up the set for the " Hoop 
Dance," and chance allots the partners, in this way: A stick 




The Hoop Dance. 

is placed on the ground and the group, standing about 
twelve feet away, take turns in tossing small stones as 
near to it as possible. The girl and boy throwing near- 
est the goal take first position ; the girl and boy throwing 
second nearest take the second position, and so on. The 
four couples stand quite a distance apart, at least six yards 
being allowed between those facing each other, as in Fig. 
597. (Crosses represent boys and circles girls.) One of 
the players is chosen leader, and it is his duty to call out the 
different figures of the " Hoop Dance." At " Attention ! " 
all take position and stand ready, hoop in hand, to respond 






Active Games 



325 



to the first call. The leader then prompts, " First and sec- 
ond couples cross over right and left." Immediately the 
two boys, B and F, move to the left, as in Fig. 598, in order 
to give space for E to roll her hoop between A and B, and 





Fig. 597- 




Fig. 599. 






O.Jr 




C D 

+ 




B \ 

\ao 


-To 


. OE \ 

Vf 


B+ 

Aa— --- -" 

+ 

h a 


,->-OE 




C 
•*■ 




C D 

•2 i* 




Bf 














ol 


B.I 


Ut 


AO 




*F 


Aoj 


{OF 




+ O 
H ft 




H G 





Fig. 598. 



Fig. 600. 



A to pass between E and F. As the leader prompts the two 
couples roll their hoops to the opposite sides. Then the 
leader calls, "Third and fourth couples right and left." 
They follow the example of the first couple, the boys H and 
D moving to the left to give space for C to pass between G 



326 What a Girl Can Do 

and H, and G to cross between C and D. The leader next 
calls, " First couples right and left back to places," and this 
movement is repeated by the last couples. 

In the Second Figure 

of the dance the girls of the first couples change places, as 
in Fig. 599, where A and E roll their hoops diagonally 
across the intervening space according to the dotted lines. 
This brings A in E's place and E in A's. Next the girls 
change places on the sides ; C and G cross over to op- 
posite sides. Then the leader cries out, " Girls of first 
couples return to places," and E and A roll their hoops back 
to first position. " The sides do the same." In like man- 
ner the boys change, first B and F, then D and H, and re- 
turn to places, taking great care not to allow their hoops 
to fall or get beyond their control. 

The Third Figure 

is " Hoops all around." At '* Attention ! " from the leader 
each player turns, facing the back of the next player. Ar- 
rows point the direction players are to take (Fig. 600). A 
turns toward B ; B faces C ; C looks at D, and so on. Then, 
with hoops in position, at the word " Hoops all around " 
each player follows the companion directly ahead, rolling 
his hoop as he goes around the circle, stopping only when 
his original place is reached. 

The Fourth Figure 

Again the leader calls, " Attention." This time each 
player faces his partner, stepping a little to one side to 
allow the partner to pass (Fig. 597), which brings all the 
girls A, C, E, and G, facing the left and outside the ring, 






Active Games 327 



while B, D, F, and H, the boys, face the right and are 
inside the ring. At the call from the leader, " Grand 
right and left," each player carefully rolls his hoop first 
to one side, then to the other of those whom he meets 
on his way around the circle, beginning with his partner 
(Fig. 597). The girl A passes to the right of her partner B, 
left of D, right of F and left of H. All the other players 
weave in and out in the same way, as in the ordinary qua- 
drille, the only difference being that instead of the hands 
being grasped in passing the hoops are rolled to right and 
left. This figure concludes the " Hoop Dance." Should 
the players be all girls, let four of them tie handkerchiefs 
on their left arms to show that, for the time being, they 
represent the sterner sex. 

The Game of Tag never loses its charm. Who can re- 
sist rushing after a companion at the words " last tag." No 
girl with any daring or enterprise can rest content until the 
compliment be returned. Somewhat differing from the 
original tag, but none the less attractive, is the game of 
the same name played with wooden hoops. 

Hoop Tag 

keeps one constantly on the alert. Any number may join 
in this game, and all, except one, must be provided with 
hoops and sticks. Decide who shall be "It" by some 
counting-out rhyme — such as 

High peg, low peg, 
Mary and Ann, 
Tom, Dick and Harry, 
Jim and Dan, 
Roly Poly, cod and trout, 
Stingelium, Stangelium, 
You are out ! — 



328 What a Uirl Can Do 

This important person has a stick, but no hoop. From 
some particular starting-point determine the distance the 
players may roll their hoops before " It " is permitted to fol- 
low. The distance is optional — eight yards or so would 
do, the place being designated by a house, tree or fence, 
as the case may be, and made plain to all by " It " saying, 
" I'll stand here and give you all a chance to reach that 
tree" — or whatever the object may be — "before I follow." 
At the signal, " Are you ready ? Go ! " from " It," all except 
" It " start rolling their hoops in the same direction. As 
soon as the first player reaches the tree "It" calls out, 
" Coming ! " and immediately follows. The other players 
hearing the word "coming" scatter in all directions while 
"It" endeavors to strike someone's hoop with her stick. 
When she succeeds the captive surrenders the hoop to 
" It," who scampers away with her prize to join the others. 
The loser, instantly becoming " It," starts in pursuit of the 
nearest hoop. She cannot, however, strike the hoop she 
has just lost until the player has had time to run several 
yards beyond her reach. The game continues until each 
player has been " It." 

When at the circus, has not everyone seen the clown 
and other members of the sawdust ring jump boldly 
through a hoop held in the air? They perform the feat 
with such skill that it looks very simple, but it is less easy 
than it appears. 

The Circus-hoop Game 

though, is not difficult, for a wooden hoop takes the part 
of the clown. The game calls for one extra hoop large 
enough to allow the remaining hoops to pass through it 
(Fig. 601.) Count out to determine who shall be " It " and 
when that is decided let the other players take their places 



Active Games 



329 




Fig. 601. 



at a given distance — about fifty feet — from the large hoop, 
which is held perfectly still in position by " It." 

The object of the game is that each player, in turn, shall 
roll her hoop through the large one without allowing the 
rolling hoop to fall on its way to the 
other side of the large hoop. The first 
player to miss changes places with " It " 
and holds the big hoop, giving her 
smaller hoop to the first " It " ; and the 
latter joins the ranks of the players, tak- 
ing the last place in the row. The second 
to fail surrenders her hoop and in turn 
becomes " It." The game proceeds in 
this way until only one player remains 
who has not been obliged, through fail- 
ure, to take the part of " It." Such a one is victorious and 
the winner of the game. No player is allowed to be " It " 
a second time in the same game. The second miss debar- 
ring her from any more trials, she drops from the line to 
await a new game, when she will be entitled to the same 
chance of winning as the others. 

Racing always has its charm, and wherever there is a 
group of young girls, sooner or later there will be a race of 
some kind. There is no fixed number of players for the 

Hoop Race Game 

Still it is better not to have more than eight. In determin- 
ing the couples who shall race together, eight slender 
sticks or broom-straws are used, making four pairs of 
straws, each pair of a different length. A player holds the 
straws in her hand, showing one end of each. They are 
placed evenly, all projecting out the same distance from 
the closed hand (Fig. 602). When each player has drawn 



330 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 




Fig. 602 



a straw and found her partner, who has its mate, the two 
holding the longest straws roll their hoops from the given 
starting-point to the goal previously determined. The dis- 
tance should not be more than 
three or four hundred feet. 
The two players having the 
next two longest straws take 
second turn. Third place be- 
longs to the two holding the 
next longest straws, leaving 
those with the shortest straws 
last. All who fail to win the 
first or trial race fall out of 
the game, and the four victors 
again draw straws for places as in the first trial. The 
two couples race, and then comes the final test between 
the last two victors, the other two having dropped out. 
The last trial is watched eagerly by the six who are out of 
the game and stand as spectators on each side of the 
course, cheering the players as they race after their hoops. 
The first to reach the goal in this run is hailed as the 
champion. 

When you learn to jump rope you acquire uncon- 
sciously at the same time a delightful sense of rhythm in 
addition to the exercise the sport affords. In the lively 

Jumping Rope Conquer Game 

the players choose a leader and use a long rope which is 
turned at each end by two of the players. The others, in 
turn, follow the leader, doing everything she does, even to 
the turn of the head and the movement of the hands. 
When all is ready, the rope turning evenly and steadily 



I 



§ 



Active Games 



33i 



toward the leader, she runs in and through to the opposite 
side without jumping, calling out " Follow me" ; the other 
players do likewise. Then with the rope turning away 
from her she runs back in, jumps once and runs out on the 
opposite side. The others follow. Next the leader runs 





Jumping Rope 
Conquer Game. 



in, jumps once, then stoops and picks 

up a small stone or pebble, which has 

previously been placed near the rope, 

regaining her position in time to jump 

over the rope when it next comes to her feet. Again she 

stoops, lays the pebble back in place, jumps once and runs 

out. The others repeat this. The leader runs in, jumps 

first on one foot, on the other, then on both, and runs out. 

The others do likewise. The leader runs in, calling to one 

of the followers to join her. They face, grasp each other's 

hands and jump. Still holding hands they raise them over 



332 What a Girl Can Do 

their heads and jump. The others, in couples, follow in like 
fashion. 

Should the leader at any time fail, she must take an end 
of the rope, and the one next in line becomes leader, while 
the player relieved from turning goes to the bottom of the 
line, her turn coming last. At the first miss of the second 
leader the player directly following takes the leadership ; 
each follower becomes leader in turn. When one of the 
followers misses she takes an end of the rope, and the 
player released goes to the bottom of the line to await her 
turn. The game continues until each player has enjoyed 
the distinction of being leader. 

Going to Market 

is a jumping-rope game played by three or more. Two 
turn the rope, each taking an end ; they walk along, turn- 
ing as they go. The other players run in at the start and 
jump forward at each turn of the rope, keeping pace with 
the rope-turners. As soon as one trips she changes places 
with the player at the end of the rope. The point of the 
game is that the entire group shall keep constantly moving 
forward, each player being obliged to take an end of the 
rope when she fails. 
In the game of 

Passing By 

a long rope is necessary and at least four players, two to 
turn and two to jump. If more join the game, they must 
divide into couples and take turns jumping, as the sport 
requires two to enter and jump the rope together. The 
places are taken as in Fig. 603. One player is stationed as 
near as possible to one end of the rope, and the other player 
close to the other end on the opposite side. As the rope 



Active Games 



333 



turns the players A and B (Fig. 603) advance, jumping to- 
ward each other. They meet, pass and continue on their 
way toward the opposite end of the rope until they have 




Fig. 603. 

changed positions, A being in B's place and B in A's. They 
return to their first positions and run out, leaving the rope 
free for the next two to have their turn. 
One of the liveliest rope games is 

Red, White and Blue 

A long rope is turned by two of the players ; another runs 
in and jumps once ; they all sing in chorus " Red, white and 
blue," slowly keeping time with the rope, which is turned 
three times high in air above the head of the jumper. The 
first turn is for red, the second for white, and the third for 
blue. As the turners lower the rope to the ground, with- 
out once stopping in the turning, the player jumps once, 
and again the rope goes up and is turned three times in the 
air while the chorus is repeated. Then, after another 
jump, all chant the words, " Salt, pepper, mustard, VINE- 
GAR," the rope turns very slowly for salt, faster for pep- 
per, still faster for mustard and at lightning speed as vine- 
gar is pronounced ; the jumper increasing her speed at each 
turn of the rope. 



CHAPTER XXIX 




EXPENSIVE GAMES WITH LITTLE OR 
NO EXPENSE 

'VERYBODY plays 

Ping Pong 

Young and old alike enjoy the game whose 
object is merely to strike a small ball back- 
ward and forward over a net stretched 
across a table. If you have never played 
the game it will seem very simple, but 
upon first trial you will probably realize 
that keeping the ball in motion is not as easy as it appears, 
for, instead of returning over the net in an orderly manner, 
the ball shows an uncontrollable inclination to jump down 
on the floor and hide in some obscure corner, thereby caus- 
ing the player to enter reluctantly into a game of hide-and- 
seek with the tantalizing little object. However, it requires 
only slight practice to gain control of the ball, and the game 
is then very fascinating. 

Any girl may have a set of Ping Pong, for she can make 
it at the cost of 

Three Cents 
The only thing in the game necessary to purchase is a cel- 
luloid ball, the price of which is three cents. Other im- 
plements needed are two rackets, a net, and the frame or 
stakes supporting the net. The racket can be manufact- 
ured from a piece of wooden box, or possibly a shingle 

334 



Expensive Games with Little Expense 335 



which is sound and free from knots. Wood about a quarter 
of an inch thick, or more, is best for the purpose. Cut a 
paper pattern first as a guide for 
the shape of the racket. Take a 
piece of paper twelve and a quar- 
ter inches long and six wide ; fold 



Fig. 604. 

lengthwise through the centre and cut according to dotted 
ft lines in Fig. 604. Open the paper pattern and place it 
over the wood ; with a lead- 
pencil draw a line completely 
around it, then carefully saw | 
or cut out the racket, and 
smooth down the rough 
edges with sand-paper; make »g-6os. 

Fig-. 606. the second racket in the same manner. The head 
of the racket should be seven inches long and six wide, 
the handle five and a quarter inches long and a trifle over 




Fig. 607. 



one inch wide (Fig. 605). Saw the stakes from the handle 
of an ordinary hearth-broom, or from any strong, slender 
round stick. Make each stake eight inches long and notch it 




Fig. 608. 

at the top (Fig. 606). As a support for 

the stakes use a strip of board three 

inches wide, not more than one inch thick, and about four 

feet long. If you have no auger to make two holes in the 



336 



What a Girl Can Do 



board for the stakes, burn them through the centre of the 
ends with the red-hot point of a round poker (Fig. 607). Be 
careful not to make the holes too large, have them rather 





Fig. 609. 

small, that the stakes when fitted in may be tight and firm. 
A strip of almost any kind of cloth six inches wide, hemmed 
top and bottom and cut long enough to stretch taut entirely 

across and above the board, 

when tied from stake to stake, 

may serve as a net. Mosquito 

netting or turkey-red cotton 

Flg ' 610 ' cloth make satisfactory strips; 

use whatever material is most convenient. Fig. 608 shows 

the net with two narrow tapes sewed at the four corners for 

tying it to top and bottom 

of the stakes. Stretch ^^^= . . • ■ -* 

the net across the centre \ / Fig. 6n. 

of a table, preferably a 1/ dining-room table, bring 
forth your rackets and ball, and practise playing 

Ping Pong with some friend, each standing at one end of 
the table (Fig. 609). 

A retriever is sometimes used for picking up the ball 



Expensive Games with Little Expense 337 

when it falls to the floor, and, though not necessary, will be 
found very useful, especially for beginners. Get a strong, 
slender stick about a yard long and fasten a small hoop of 
metal or wood on one end by binding the turned-up ends 
of the hoop securely to the stick (Fig. 610). Test the fasten- 
ing and be sure that it is firm and strong, and that the hoop 
does not wobble. Then sew a little cloth bag on the hoop 
(Fig. 611) and the next time the ball falls to the floor scoop 
it up with the retriever. 

The Rules 

are similar to lawn tennis, but there is no second service, 
as in lawn tennis. 

The game of Ping Pong is generally for two, though 
four players may take part. The double game will afford 
great amusement if but two rackets are used, as the player 
must lay her racket down each time for her partner to use. 

The player who first strikes the ball across the net is 
called the server and the other player is called the oppo- 
nent. The idea of the game is to serve the ball so as to 
strike the table on the opposite side of the net. The ball is 
then in play." If it drops into the net, or does not strike the 
table, it counts in favor of the opponent. 

The opponent to whom the ball is served must endeavor 
to return the ball over the net so that it will strike upon the 
table. The ball is thus sent back and forth until one player 
or the other fails to get it over the net so that it will bounce 
upon the opposite side of the table. 

The ball is in play so long as it strikes the table-top and 
can be taken on the first bounce. Striking before the ball 
bounces is not allowed. 

When the game is finished the server becomes opponent 
and the opponent server, and so on, alternately. 
22 



338 What a Girl Can Do 

If the ball in play strikes any object above or round the 
table before it bounces on the table-top itself (net or post 
excepted) it counts against the player. 

The server wins a stroke if the opponent fails to return 
the ball or returns the ball in play off the table. 

The opponent wins a stroke if the server serve a fault, 
or fails to return the ball in play, or returns the ball in play 
so that it falls off the table. 

No volleying is allowed ; but as long as the ball touches 
the table-top it is in play and can be taken at half-volley. 
The opponent loses a point if he takes the ball on the volley. 

The player who first wins six games wins a set. 

The service must be strictly underhand and delivered 
from behind the end of the table. 



Scoring 

Your opponent scores— If you do not return the ball ; if 
you strike the ball before it touches the table ; if the ball 
bounces twice. 

You score — If your opponent strike the ball out of play 
or bounces the ball his side of the net. 

On either player winning his first stroke, the score is 
called 15 for that player; on either player winning his sec- 
ond stroke, the score is called 30 for that player ; on either 
player winning his third stroke, the score is called 40 for 
that player, and the fourth stroke won by either player is 
scored game for that player, except when both players have 
won three strokes (40 all) ; the score is then called deuce, 
and the next stroke won by either player is scored advantage 
to that player. If the same player wins the next stroke, he 
wins the game ; if he loses the next stroke, the score is 
again called deuce, and so on, until either player wins the 






Expensive Games with Little Expense 339 

two strokes immediately following - the score of deuce, when 
the game is scored for that player. In naming the score the 
server is always mentioned first, for convenience, as 30-15, 
signifying 30 for server and 15 for opponent. 

Terms Used in Ping Pong 

Let means that the ball, while being served, touches the 
net in passing over, and the server has the privilege of 
serving again. If the opponent makes a let stroke it counts, 
the same as if the ball had cleared the net. 

Volleying means striking the ball before it bounces. 

Half-volleying means striking the ball just as it bounces. 

Underhand stroke means striking the ball with the head 
of the racket pointed downward. 

Overhand stroke means striking the ball with the head of 
the racket pointed upward. 

All means same score for both players — as 30 all, mean- 
ing 30 for server and 30 for opponent. 

Deuce means a tie. 

The Game 

Begin by taking plenty of time and serving slowly. Re- 
member to strike the ball lightly ; too much force will send 
it flying to the other end of the room, which is to be avoided. 
Keep cool and think what you are doing. 

Your mind must be centred entirely upon the game. 
Grasp your racket close to the head, and when serving keep 
your racket down ; the ball must not be held above the waist- 
tine and must be served beyond the end of the table. 

The writer once knew. 

A Little Girl who was Very Fond of Playing 

out of doors, and when confined to the house by inclement 
weather, a bad cold, or some other disagreeable thing, was 



34-Q What a Girl Can Do 

very apt to grow restless and fretful, complaining always 
that she did not know what to do. She had any quantity of 
beautiful toys, but, as she said, she was tired of them all. 

Then it was that the family would induce her to try to 
make something for herself, and when once she became 
interested in her work, and found that by her own ingenu- 
ity she could manufacture, from odds and ends, many in- 
teresting little toys, her restlessness vanished, and she was 
once more cheerful, happy, and contented. 

At one time she had a book presented to her which gave 
the patterns and directions for making a few little articles — 
a very few it seemed to her, for she speedily did all the 
work laid out there, and was again thrown on her own 
resources for new ideas. 

A Make-believe Sewing-machine 

When she was quite a small child, too young to be 
allowed to sew on a real sewing-machine, she constructed 
a machine which, with the aid of her imagination, did very 
good work. Of course she could not really sew on it, but 
neither could she have done so had it been a " sure-enough" 
sewing-machine, and there was sufficient reality about it to 
make her play very absorbing. 

The small wheels on top went round with a whiz and a 
whirr that filled her soul with delight. There were two 
wheels, because they were the remnants of a mechanical 
toy, a horse and sulky, which was once driven by a hand- 
some tin jockey. The horse and jockey were gone, but the 
wheels and machinery remained. The key to the clock- 
like works was likewise missing, but it was very easy to 
wind up the spring by turning one of the wheels round and 
round a number of times. Once wound up, the wheels were 
bound to go until the machinery ran down again, and it 



Expensive Games with Little Expense 341 

was while going at full speed that the pretended sewing 
was done. 

No, these two wheels were not all of the sewing-machine 
by any means. There was the arm made of pasteboard, 
with needle attached, which, shaken by the vibration of the 
turning wheels, moved up and down quite naturally. All 
this was on top of a small table, underneath was the treadle 
made of the back of an old geography laid across a piece of 
kindling wood. The treadle would sometimes slip out of 
place with the rapid movement of the little girl's feet, but 
that was of no consequence, since it was only the work of a 
moment to replace it. The fact that there was no large 
wheel mattered nothing either, for the little seamstress felt 
her feet moving up and down, saw the wheels whirling on 
top, and was satisfied without a wheel that could not be seen 
anyway. 

The sewing-machine was such an ambitious idea that it 
required some imagination to carry it out successfully, but 
there were other things this little girl made which were 
quite complete in themselves, such as toy houses, furniture, 
and dolls. 

Knowing how thankfully this same little maid received 
any suggestions which would assist her in the manufacture 
of her home-made toys, I take it for granted there are other 
children who will be just as grateful for new ideas and who 
are just as happy in carrying them out. If you happen to be 
such a little girl, you will be glad to learn about this im- 
promptu game of croquet which you can make for yourself 
in half an hour and enjoy the use of for many a long day. 

To Make a Parlor Croquet Set 

Diagram No. 612 shows the arches, of which there 
must be nine, all made of wire bent in the shape you see, 



342 



What a Girl Can Do 



with each of the ends thrust into a button-mould. To pre- 
vent the wire from slipping out, fill the holes with bees- 
wax, and then push the wire in ; 
this will make the arches quite 
strong and steady. 

The mallets, as shown, are 
made of empty spools, with long 
wire nails driven in for handles. 
The stakes are made of wire 
nails stuck in button- moulds, 
like the one seen at the bottom 
of diagram No. 612. You will 
need two stakes and four 




Fig. 612. 



mallets. Marbles, all of the 
same kind, but with differ- 
ent markings, take the 
places of croquet balls. 

Not an expensive set of 
croquet, surely. The spools, 
wire, button-moulds, and 
nails you will probably find 
in the house, and the mar- 
bles also, if you happen to have a small brother ; if not, you 
can buy them seven for one cent. 

How to Arrange the Game 

The parlor croquet should be played on a good-sized 
table covered with a woollen cloth. Place the stakes and 
arches in the position shown in diagram No. 613. Let the 
stakes stand forty inches apart. Place arch No. 1 four 
inches from the starting stake, arch No. 2 four inches from 
No. 1, arch No. 3 eight inches to the right and one inch in 
advance of No. 2, arch No. 4 twelve inches in advance of 



Expensive Games with Little Expense 343 

and on a line with No. 2. Begin at the other stake and 
place the arches at the same relative distances. 



Rules for Playing 



1 



First — The object of the jr\ 

game is for each player to 
send her ball through each /-\ 

arch in turn, beginning at £9^ J^A 

No. 1 and using her mallet 
for striking her ball. When 
a ball has passed through 
arches Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 
and 7, according to their 
numbers, it must strike the X+l 

stake just beyond No. 7> 
then returning through 
arches 7 and 6, it must move 
on through No. 8, through 
No. 4 again in the direction 

opposite to the one taken ±sA y^\ L S X 

in its first passage ; then 
through arches Nos. 9, 2 *-. 

and 1, striking the stake to A 

" go out," and the first i 

player to do this wins the ■£ 

^ J Fig. 613. 

game. 

Second — To decide who shall open the game, or be the 
first to play, each player in turn shall place her ball (marble) 
directly under the first arch and play for the stake. The 
one whose ball, after playing, stands nearest the stake has 
the privilege of the first turn, the next nearest the second 
turn, and so on. 



344 What a Girl Can Do 

Third — The first play with each ball shall be made after 
placing it half way between the starting stake and arch No. 
i, and the player may aim for the arch or any ball which 
has entered the game, or may send her ball in any direction 
she may choose. 

Fourth — A ball failing to make its first arch must remain 
where it rests until next turn ; passing through its arch 
gives the player another play. 

Fifth — When a ball strikes another the player may cro- 
quet or roquet the ball in any direction she wishes, and 
then have another play. No ball may croquet or roquet 
another more than once in one turn unless it passes through 
an arch or strikes the stake between the croquets. 

To croquet a ball the player places her ball touching the 
one it has just struck; then, resting her finger on her own 
ball to hold it steady, she strikes her ball with her mallet, 
sending the other in any desired direction. To roquet a 
ball the player places her ball touching the one just struck 
and strikes her ball, moving them both at the same time. 

Sixth — A ball rolling off the table must be replaced at 
the point where it went off two inches from the edge. 

Seventh — When a ball has passed through all of the 
arches it becomes a " rover," and need not strike the start- 
ing stake and go out until the player wishes. A rover has 
the privilege of croqueting or roqueting any or all of the 
other balls in each turn, but may play on each ball only 
once during one turn. 

Eighth — The game may be played with partners, or 
each may play for herself. When there are partners each 
side takes a turn alternately. 




A Dash for the Goal. 



CHAPTER XXX 




BASKET BALL 



ITH the opening of the basket- 
ball season the girls are all wide- 
awake, interested, and eager to 
enter the teams; there is an ex- 
citing dash and life about the 
game which renders it very fas- 
cinating. 

If you can organize a set of 
ten players and divide the 



Cost of an Outfit 

among the girls, each contribu- 
ting an equal portion, the individual expense need not be 
exorbitant. 

The price of a good basket ball is four dollars, and a pair 
of goal baskets the same amount, making in all eight dollars, 
just eighty cents each, a small amount when compared 
with the fun, health, and general benefit to be derived from 
the sport. The expense will be even less if shared by the 
officials. 

It is optional whether you play indoors or out of doors ; 
the game is suited to either place. The size of a 

Playing Ground 

varies in different localities, being regulated according to 
available space, but it must not exceed 3,500 square feet. 

346 



Basket Ball 



347 



Mark out your field, making the width less than the 
length, according to Fig. 614. If indoors, use black paint 
for marking the inch and a half wide boundary lines ; if out 
in the open air have the lines white, of the same width as 
the black, and made with 
either whitewash, chalk, 
paint, or plaster-of-paris. 

You must have the side 
boundaries of the field at 
least three feet from the 
wall or fence, and the end 
boundaries directly below 
the pole or wall surface 
against which the basket 
goals are placed. The in- 
closed field is divided into 
three portions (Fig. 614). 
Two more inclosures are 
necessary, called foul lim- 
its ; make them inside the 
two end divisions, Figs. 614. 
The boundary line of the 
curved end must be equally 
six feet distant all around 
from station line indicated 
by a short straight line in 
the centre of the inner end of foul limits in both divisions; 
the station line must be fifteen feet from the goal or outer 
edge of basket ; the space across from the straight lines of 
the foul limits must measure six feet. 

Mark centre of field with a circle of a foot and half 
radius (Fig. 614), or two lines one and a half feet apart. 
If marked by circle the girls playing centres must stand 









( 




) 



Fig. 614. 



; 4 8 



What a Girl Can Do 



within it ; if two lines are used they must toe the lines. 
Hang your 

Baskets 

ten feet above the ground on the centre of each extreme 

end boundary line (Fig. 614, C and C). Be perfectly sure 

that the basket goals are firmly fastened in place and rigidly 

supported either on a strong upright pole, or on a wall 

surface. If on poles it is better 

to have a screen six feet wide 

and four high as a background, 

though this is not absolutely 

necessary. During practice and 

ordinary games leave the netting 

open at the bottom of the basket, 

that the ball may fall through the 

basket to the floor or ground 

beneath, it being difficult for 

girls to get the ball out of the 

basket when it is closed at the 




Fig. 615. 



bottom. Using a pole to 
push the ball out is not always attended with satisfactory 
results, and the effort consumes valuable time and strength. 
The baskets are called the goals ; usually they are ham- 
mock nets of cord, sometimes metal chain links ; they are 
always suspended from metal rings 
eighteen inches in diameter (inside). 
The back part of the metal ring is fast- 
ened to an iron bar which extends six 
inches from the pole or wall to which it 
is attached (Fig. 615). The 

Ball 

is round and hollow, composed of two 
Fig. 616. layers, an inside rubber bladder and an 




Basket Ball 349 



outside cover of leather. The rubber is tightly inflated and 
the cover so laced that it cannot be caught or held by the 
lacing. The ball measures from thirty to thirty-two inches 
in circumference and weighs from eighteen to twenty 
ounces (Fig. 616). 
The usual 

Set of Players 

is ten, making five on each side, though the game is occa- 
sionally played with more. The set sometimes numbers as 
many as twenty members, ten on each side ; but such teams 
are rare, and generally undesirable. Large teams crowd 
the field to such a degree that very little skill is required 
to reach the goal, and action to a great extent is rendered 
almost impossible. 

Each side chooses its own 

Captain 

who must be one of the five girls constituting the side. 
There are always two captains in a game, and they should 
be selected with care, as much depends upon their proper 
qualifications for holding the office. In addition to other 
duties, the captains toss for the choice of goals, are active 
players in the game, represent their respective sides, and are 
entitled to call the attention of the officials to any violation 
of the rules which they may think has occurred ; it is their 
further duty to furnish the scorer with lists of their sides, 
giving the positions of the players. The captain appoints 
the forwards, guards, and centre. 

The game calls for nine more girls ; these do not take 
active part in the play, but hold positions as officials. The 
officials with a set of ten players necessitate nineteen girls 
for the usual game. The nine 



350 What a Girl Can Do 

Officials 

are one referee, two umpires, a scorer, a time-keeper, and 
four linesmen. Always choose your 

Referee 

at least four days before the game. She must be absolutely 
neutral and perfectly impartial ; to her belongs the honor of 
holding the most important office in the game. It is the 
referee's duty to see that the regulations respecting the ball, 
goal, and grounds are adhered to. 

By mutual agreement of the captains, the referee may 
allow alterations in the rules regarding time and grounds, 
but not as regards goal, ball, or team. Before the com- 
mencement of the game she must ascertain the time for 
beginning, or any other arrangements that have been made 
by the captains. 

The referee must watch the ball constantly, following it 
wherever it goes. She must know at all times the where- 
abouts of the ball, as her office constitutes her judge of it, 
and she must decide when the ball is in play, to whom it 
belongs, and when a goal has been made. Every time the 
ball is put in play the referee tosses it up, she alone having 
the right to do so. The referee calls time, when necessary, 
by blowing a whistle, and she must always call a foul when 
any player addresses an officer. No player is allowed to 
talk to the officials, though anyone may speak to the cap- 
tain and the captain can address the officers ; in that way 
only are the players able to communicate with the officers. 

The referee decides all questions not definitely falling to 
the umpires and linesmen, scorer and time-keeper, but is 
powerless to alter a decision of the umpire or linesmen re- 
garding matters under their jurisdiction. 



Basket Ball 351 



The referee instructs the team when to play, and either 
side refusing to begin the game within three minutes after 
the whistle sounds forfeits the game. 

The referee's term of office expires at the conclusion of 
the game, and her decision awarding the game must be 
given then, as she no longer has power to act as referee. 
The referee must disqualify members when they are guilty 
of shouldering, tripping, striking, kicking, hacking, or of in- 
tentional or unnecessary roughness of any kind. These con- 
stitute fouls, and the referee overlooks the first offence, but 
not the second. When a player is disqualified she must 
drop from the game and a substitute take her place. A foul 
is a violation of the rules, whether committed unintention- 
ally, ignorantly, or otherwise ; the only guide an officer has 
is the cold fact that a foul has been made. 

Each team chooses its own 

Umpire 

who must be a thoroughly competent and impartial girl. 
The umpires call all fouls except cases coming under the 
authority of the referee ; when the fouls are made by players 
crossing the field lines, linesmen judge them. 

Each umpire makes her own decision independently of 
the other, but a foul called by one umpire cannot be ques- 
tioned by the other. The umpire calls time by blowing a 
whistle when stating a foul and indicating the offender; she 
reports to the scorer the player at fault and the nature of 
the foul. The referee appoints the 

Scorer 

who must keep the score. She must be perfectly neutral. 
It is the scorer's duty to notify the referee when a player 






352 What a Girl Can Do 

should be disqualified for any kind of roughness. The ref- 
eree appoints the 

Time-keeper 

who must be exact about the time, noting when the game 
starts, and blowing her whistle at the expiration of the 
actual playing time in each half previously agreed upon by 
captains and referee. The time-keeper must take out time 
when called upon to do so by the referee. The captain is 
privileged to ask the referee to call time for an injured 
player or when a difference has occurred between the cap- 
tain and an official. The half game is generally fifteen min- 
utes, making the entire game thirty minutes, not counting 
the intermission. The playing time may be shortened to ten 
minutes for each half or lengthened to twenty for each half. 
The referee only may order time deducted for necessary 
stoppages, should any occur during the game. The four 

Linesmen 

are appointed by the referee ; two for each side. These 
four girls usually stand at the four corners of the centre 
division, and it is their duty to report if any of the players 
step on or cross over the dividing lines. Such offences are 
counted fouls. When the ball happens to be thrown outside 
the field boundary lines the players are allowed to rush 
after it, but are not allowed to go beyond the dividing lines 
when in the field. 

All the girls should be in their 

Places on the Field 

ready to begin the game at the appointed signal. Fig. 617 
will assist you in gaining a clear understanding of the differ- 






Basket Ball 



353 



ent positions occupied by the various members of the team 
when in position to commence play. The object of the 
game is to throw the ball into the opponent's basket, and this is 
best accomplished by the girls being coupled with oppo- 
nents and stationed at various places all over the field. In 
Fig. 617 the girls on one 

side are represented by '-■'■ 

circles, those on the other 
side by crosses. We will 
suppose that the two 
captains have tossed for 
goals, and that to the 
circles has fallen the goal 
G and to the crosses the 
goal H. In the centre of 
the field are grouped 
three girls, one player 
from each side, and the 
referee, who is here indi- 
cated by a triangle. 

The referee stands with 
the ball in her hands, fac- 
ing the other two girls, 
having her back turned 
toward the side of the 
field (Fig. 617). 

It is optional on which 
side of the centres the 
referee is stationed. 

The two players stand facing each other with their sides 
turned toward the referee, and each has her back toward 
her own goal (Fig. 618). These two players, circle and 
cross, are known as 
23 



"fa 



□ 





O 4- + O 




( 

+ 





) 

+ 



Fig. 617. 



354 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 



Centres 

There are always two centres in a game, and it is their duty 
to jump quickly for the ball as it leaves the hands of the 
referee, who opens the game by tossing the ball vertically 
in the air immediately between and not more than two feet 

from the centres. Fig. 618 
shows the referee ready to 
toss the ball. Each centre 
endeavors to catch the ball 
and pass it to one of the 
forwards on her own side, 
with the hope that it may, 
sooner or later, land in her 
opponent's basket; at the 
same time she tries to pre- 
vent the ball from being 
passed by the opponent's 
guards across the centre of 
the field toward her basket. 
The centres must confine 
their play within the cen- 
tral space ; they cannot step across the dividing lines running 
from side to side of the central division of the field. In 
each of the end divisions are stationed two girls called for- 
wards and two others known as guards ; their duties are 
implied by their titles. The forwards endeavor to forward 
the ball to their opponents' basket, and the guards guard 
their own goals, striving to prevent the opponent forwards 
throwing the ball into their basket. In Fig. 617 the circle 

Forwards 

are in the end near their opponents' basket H, that they may 
have a better opportunity of sending the ball into it, and 




Triangle 
Circle Centre. Referee. 

Fig. 618. 



Cross Centre. 






Basket Ball 355 



the cross forwards are on the other end of the field near the 
circle's basket trying to engineer the ball into that goal. 
You will notice that the guards on each end protect their 
own basket. Standing by each cross forward is a circle 

Guard 

who endeavors to prevent an opponent from succeeding in 
her efforts for the goal, and on the cross end of the field 
the two cross guards are trying to protect their basket from 
the circle forwards. 

The stars in Fig. 617 stand for the four linesmen, who 
must be continually on the qui vive and report if a girl steps 
over the dividing lines. 

Each umpire watches both sides ; generally one umpire 
walks about just outside the field boundary line on one side 
of the field, and the other walks just outside the boundary 
on the other side of the field. It is optional which side they 
take, but they should not both be stationed on the same 
side. Fig. 617 shows the circle umpire on the right hand, 
and the cross umpire on the left hand of the field. The 
umpires are designated by circle and cross, with rays ex- 
tending all around them. 

The time-keeper stands outside of the field, that she may 
not interfere with the action of the players ; other than that 
restriction, she may move as she pleases. In Fig. 617 the 
time-keeper is denoted by a round black spot. 

The scorer must also keep out of the field proper and 
have her mind on her portion of the work. In Fig. 617 the 
scorer is designated by a square. 

When all stand ready the 

Game 
begins. The referee tosses up the ball, and every one of 
the players on the field eagerly watches the two centres as 



356 IVhat a Girl Can Do 

they strive to catch the ball. The centre, gaining the ad- 
vantage, endeavors to toss it to a girl on her own side, 
while the other centre does all in her power to prevent the 
ball from reaching its destination, often running in front of 
the victorious centre, blocking the way and still further 
interfering by throwing up her arms. If the first centre 
succeeds in tossing the ball to one of the forwards on her 
side, that forward immediately strives to get the ball in the 
opponent's basket, but is constantly followed and opposed 
by the opponent guard, who endeavors to frustrate the 
play. Should the forward decide that the chances for gain- 
ing the goal are better if she throws the ball to another girl 
on her side, she does so with the hope that the other for- 
ward will succeed in caging the ball. If, however, the last 
forward be baffled, she tosses the ball either to her own 
centre, back to the first forward, or over across the field to 
one of her own guards, anywhere the rule permits in order 
to keep the ball from the hands of the opponents. 

If one of the opponent forwards succeeds in capturing 
the ball she tries either indirectly, with the aid of others 
on her side, or directly, by her own exertions, to cage the 
ball in the basket of the opposite side. 

The centre catching the ball from the referee is privi- 
leged to throw it to any player on her own side, either 
forwards or guards, at one end or the other of the field, 
her action depending upon circumstances. Sometimes it is 
more advantageous to toss the ball in one direction, again it 
is better to throw it in another. Therein lies the secret of 
good playing, the ability to see opportunities in time to 
profit by them and quickness and accuracy in measuring dis- 
tances, so that the ball may land where the player intends to 
send it, not falling short or getting too far. The opponent 
centre constantly follows the centre having the ball, and is 



Basket Ball 357 



ever at her side trying to obtain the ball or prevent it from 
reaching its destination. 

The forward catching the ball after it has been ad- 
vanced to her by her own centre or by guards from the 
other end of the field, or obtaining it from an opponent, 
generally throws for the basket, and she must be able to 
make the goal under many difficulties and from various 
positions. Should the ball miss the basket the forward will 
have no time for regrets, it being necessary for her to turn 
her immediate attention to regaining possession of the ball 
or to preventing it from falling into the hands of the op- 
posing guard. 

The forward must have a cool head, must be calm, and 
able to decide and judge quickly ; she must take the situation 
in at a glance and make the most of any, even the slightest, 
opportunity of forwarding the interest of her side. 

The guard's principal duty is to prevent opponents from 
getting the ball into the basket belonging to the guard's 
team, and when possible to obtain the ball and throw it to 
the centre on her side, or across to her own forwards. 

The guard's position requires that she be very skilful 
and constantly on the watch to defend her goal. 

The players are on the field in couples, but the two 
standing together are always opponents ; a player is never 
stationed by one of her own side. The game is thus in part 
played in couples, that is, the two placed together pay 
especial attention to each other and are, for the time being, 
each the particular opponent of the other, trying to foil all 
efforts of the other to gain any advantages in the game, at 
the same time endeavoring to assist the players on her own 
side. 

The inner divisions for fouls, Fig. 614, are ignored ex- 
cept when a foul has been made ; then the side opposed 



358 



PVliat a Girl Can Do 



to the one committing the foul has a free throw for the 
basket and the foul court is in use. The player having 
the free throw stands on the line in the centre of the circle 
of the foul division (Fig. 614), and must be allowed to take 
time to aim well and throw for the basket. No other player 
is permitted to stand in or pass through the limits of this 
court while the player with the ball is trying for the goal. 
The object in marking the inclosure is to prevent any other 
girl approaching nearer than six feet to the player throw- 
ing for the basket. The foul court must be absolutely free 
from all obstruction during a free throw, nor shall the 
player having a free throw step from the station line until 
the ball has entered or missed the goal. 

When a player is given the privilege of a free throw, 
the ball cannot be tossed to any other player; it must be 
thrown for the basket. Should this rule be violated, the 
goal will not count if made, and the referee takes the ball 
and tosses it up in the centre as at the beginning of the 
game. If by chance the free player is interfered with in 
any way, and she fails to make the goal, she can try again, 
and then, in case the ball does not land in the basket, the 
ball is in play and the game continues. 

The ball may be thrown or batted with the flat part 
of the hand in any direction, either with one or both 
hands. 

While in the field a girl cannot carry the ball nor hold 
it longer than three seconds ; she must play it from the 
spot where she catches it, unless she happens to be running. 
If while running she catches the ball, she must stop as soon 
as possible; should she fail to do so, in the opinion of the 
umpire, the umpire may call a foul. When the player capt- 
ures the ball she either throws it at once or stops running 
as soon as possible. Allowance is made in such cases, but 






Basket Ball 359 



the player cannot consume time by turning around without 
making progress in the game. 

A player cannot bound the ball on the floor more than 
three times, and never lower than the height of the knee ; 
however, this does not interfere with her throwing for a 
goal twice or more in succession. 

The player who has the ball is the only one in the field 
who may be intentionally blocked in her way ; all other play- 
ers must be free from intentional interference. 

The foul which disqualifies a player counts against her 
side. 

The ball is 

Out of Bounds 

when it completely crosses the boundary line of the field. 
Should it bounce or roll back again the game continues, 
except if the whistle of the referee is blown ; then the ball 
is put in play as if it had not returned to the field. 

The time allowed for a game is always divided ; when 
the first part has been played, time is called for a rest by 
the whistle of the time-keeper. Generally the intermission 
lasts ten minutes, sometimes longer, the game being re- 
sumed after the recess. While resting the players wrap 
themselves up to keep from taking cold, and are not per- 
mitted to drink cold water. 

After each goal the referee puts the ball in play in the 
centre of the field ; this she must also do at the commence- 
ment of the game and at the beginning of the second half of 
the game. At the end of the first half the sides change 
goals, except in case of a tie, when the game continues 
without changing goals until either side has made two ad- 
ditional points. These points may be made either from field 
or from fouls. The game is won by the side scoring the 
greater number of points during the entire game. 



360 What a Girl Can Do 

If the goal (in case of uprights) is moved by an oppo- 
nent when the ball is on its edge, one point is scored by the 
side throwing the ball. 

The game is decided by the winning of the most points 
in the actual playing time. When there are two fouls at 
once on opposite sides, each side has a free throw for the 
basket ; afterward the ball is put in play from the centre 
by the referee. Whenever it becomes necessary for the 
referee to call "time," because of illness or accident to a 
player, play must be resumed in five minutes. If the injured 
player is unable to resume play 

A Substitute 

may take her place, or the game may start at once without 
her. If a substitute takes her place she cannot play again 
during that game. 

Rules 

A goal made from the field counts two points ; made from 
a foul, one point. If a player by mistake should throw 
the ball in her own basket, it counts for the opponents. 

After time has been called the referee puts the ball in 
play by tossing it up in such a manner that it will drop near 
the spot where it was when time was called, unless it was 
held out of bounds. In this case play is resumed at the 
whistle of the referee as if time has not been called. 

The two opponents nearest this spot when time was 
called vie with each other to obtain the ball after play is 
resumed. They are indicated by the umpire. 

When the ball is held by two or more players for any 
length of time the referee blows her whistle, stops the play 
and throws the ball up from where it was held. 

Whenever the ball is put in play the players who are to 



Basket Ball 361 



first touch the ball must not stand further than two feet 
from the spot where the ball is to fall. 

When the ball goes out of bounds and remains there, it 
must be returned by the player first touching it. There can 
be no interference with her returning it ; that is, no portion 
of the person of an opponent may be outside of the field of 
play. The ball cannot be touched by an opponent until it 
has crossed the line. If either of these rules is violated, 
the ball is to be returned to the player who had it and the 
ball again put in play at the original place. 

The player holding the ball may throw it in any direc- 
tion into the field of play from any spot (outside of bounds) 
on a line drawn at right angles to the boundary line at the 
point where the ball crossed it. The ball must be throivn 
into the field of play. When either of these rules is vio- 
lated the ball goes to the opponents at the same spot. The 
ball must be thrown to some player and disposed of before 
the player who passed it can again play it. 

When a player obtains possession of the ball outside the 
limits of the field she is allowed five seconds to hold it ; if 
the ball is held longer it goes to the opponents. In case of 
doubt in the mind of the referee as to which player first 
touched the ball, she tosses it up into the field of play at 
the spot where it went out. 

When the ball is batted, rolled or passed from the field of 
play, in order to claim exemption from interference it must 
be given to the opponents at the point where it left the 
field of play. When it is passed to a player out of bounds 
the ball is given to the other side. Carrying the ball from 
the field of play is a foul. When the centres are jumping 
for the ball and one of them bats it to out of bounds, it is 
in play and goes to the other side. 

A goal scored by a player while any part of her person 



362 What a Girl Can Do 

touches the ground out of bounds shall not count. In such 
a case the ball is put in play in the centre of the field. 

If a player throws for the goal and the whistle of the 
referee, umpire, or time-keeper sounds while the ball is in 
the air, and the throw results in a goal, it is a count. 

When the umpire's whistle sounds simultaneously with 
either the referee's or time-keeper's, the umpire's takes pre- 
cedence. 

A goal scored before the whistle can be blown for a 
foul made by the side scoring, does not count; but if a 
player while throwing for the goal is fouled by an oppo- 
nent and succeeds in scoring, both count. 

Two hands on a ball are necessary to secure it. In case 
of doubt in the mind of the referee as to which player first 
put her two hands on the ball, she shall toss it up at the spot 
where it was held by the players. In no case may a player 
remove the ball from the hands of an opposing player, 
either by snatching or batting. 

The ball may not be held longer than three seconds. 

The ball may not be " juggled " ; i. e., tossed into the air 
and caught again to evade holding. 

Crossing field lines with any part of the body constitutes 
a foul. 

No player may lean over or reach over another player. 

No player may hand the ball to another player. The 
ball must be thrown to another player. 

General Fouls 

Players addressing officers. 
Kicking or striking ball. 
Carrying ball. 

Bounding ball more than three times, lower than the 
knee. 



Basket Ball 363 



Holding longer than three seconds. 

Delaying game. 

Tackling, holding, pushing opponents. 

Snatching or batting ball from hands of opponent. 

Juggling. 

Crossing or stepping on the field lines. 

Leaning or reaching over another player. 

Fouls for Which Players May be Disqualified. 

Roughness. 

Striking. 

Kicking. 

Shouldering. 

Tripping. 

Hacking. 

Unnecessarily rough play. 

Should any question come up not covered by these rules 
the officers may decide the matter in accordance with the 
spirit of the game. 

These official rules are intended especially for girls' 
basket ball as played in most of the well-known colleges, 
Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Wellesley, etc., and by the 
majority of schools except in and around New York, in 
which section both girls and boys play the boys' game. 
This differs from the girls' in having greater freedom and 
consequently more action, players being allowed to run 
to any part where they think they can be of most use within 
the extreme limits of the field. The dividing lines from side 
to side of the field are omitted, and the girls must be equal 
to greater exertion and more violent action for the boys' 
game. 

The girls' game is considered the safest and best for 
them, being adapted for girls; yet some champion players 



364 What a Girl Can Do 

prophesy that ere long the boys' game will be the one 
generally played by both girls and boys. If girls enter into 
the boys' game they must keep in training that their strength 
may equal the demands. They must not shed one tear when 
occasionally hurt, though such accidents need not occur if 
all rudeness is avoided. Should one girl unintentionally 
run against another during the game, precious moments 
cannot be wasted in apologies, there being no time for either 
excuses or tears. While the sport is going on the player's 
mind should be all earnestness and determination, too intent 
upon the game to allow thoughts for other things. Girls 
will soon acquire greater moral and physical courage by 
playing basket ball, and sufficient nerve to keep back the 
tears. Their self-control will be vastly improved and their 
endurance, strength, quickness of action, and judgment 
rapidly strengthened. All these qualities are essential, not 
only in basket ball, but in helping one to understand the 
art of living. 

Players should wear tennis 

Slippers 

in order to avoid slipping, sliding, and injuring one another 
with heavy heels, should one player accidentally step on the 
toes of another. The 

Gymnasium Suit 

of short, full, divided skirt, gathered zouave fashion at the 
knee, and a loose woollen blouse or sweater, forms a com- 
fortable, sensible uniform for basket ball. If desired a knee- 
length skirt of stout material may take the place of the 
divided skirt, but never attempt to play in a long dress or 
tight clothing. 



CHAPTER XXXI 



SOME OF OUR OUT-DOOR NEIGHBORS AND 
WHERE TO LOOK FOR THEM 

HE word grows broader and is more and 
more filled with meaning as we begin to 
understand that "neighbor" may embrace 
in its kindliness not alone the whole human 
race, but all the animal creation with which 
we come in contact. 

These denizens of the woods and fields 
are indeed our neighbors, and so also are 
the queer folk whose lives are partly or 
wholly spent in the water. When we learn 
to look for them we will find life full of the 
beauty, the music, and the good-will of 
our little friends and neighbors. 
Few of these out-door acquaintances force themselves 
upon us ; they are not at all sure of their welcome, so we 
must keep our eyes and ears open that we may learn their 
haunts and meet them at least half way. While strolling in 
the country it is pleasant to walk along laughing and sing- 
ing as we go, but we must refrain if we really wish to come 
near any of the bright-eyed, suspicious little creatures. 
They can only be approached very quietly, for wild things 
understand an unusual noise only as a danger signal, and 
will start in alarm at the least sound or sudden motion, and 
be up and off before we are conscious of their presence. 

365 




3 66 



What a Girl Can Do 



A little book for 



Observation hotes No- 



Date 



Ljocation 



Vv4ather> 



.Approximate size 



Mark 



ings 



./Action 



vS 



ongor cry 



Observation Notes 

divided off into spaces, each space having a heading, as in 
Fig. 619, will be of great value in identifying the animals, 

birds, and insects 
you may meet, and 
in keeping such rec- 
ords, your interest 
will deepen and 
your love for Nat- 
ure and all her 
children greatly in- 
crease. 

Carry the book 
with you, and make 
the notes on the 
spot. Do not wait 
until you reach 
home, depending 
upon your memory; 
it may sometimes 
play you false. 
Write nothing un- 
der the heading of 
" Identification" un- 
til you are quite sure you recognize the creature you are 
studying ; for this one entry it will be best to wait until you 
can consult a reliable book on the subject, and then care- 
fully compare your notes with what the naturalist gives as 
facts. 

If your stroll leads you through the woods listen for the 
chatter of 



Food 



liest situated 



PiesT composed 05 



Identification 



fAe-marks 



Oi Dried 



Fig. 619. 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 367 



The Squirrel 

This saucy rodent belongs to a large family, with many 
branches and ramifications, and squirrels of some kind are 
to be found in almost any wooded spot. 

The scolding- remonstrance to your invasion of his do- 
main will probably reach you before you catch a glimpse 
of him ; but sit down and wait quietly, Mr. Squirrel will 
soon appear, and very likely his little wife will follow 
him. Cautious, alert, yet really unafraid, they will ap- 
proach nearer and nearer, until they are quite close enough 
for you to mark their peculiarities and decide to which 
branch of their family they belong. You may even pass 
the compliments of the day with your little host if you 
speak gently and softly. They are not timid animals, and 
will quickly make friends with anyone who treats them 
kindly. In Daytona, Fla., where they are absolutely undis- 
turbed, the squirrels are very numerous, filling the great 
moss-laden trees, scampering over the lawns and fences and 
even eating from the hands of those who will regularly feed 
them, all the while living in entire freedom, without restraint 
of any kind. 

Wherever you may find the squirrels, their nest is prob- 
ably close by, hidden in a hole in one of the trees. Be careful 
how you thrust your hand into such an opening, however, 
for squirrels have sharp teeth and may resent such undue 
familiarity. About the first of April the nest will be filled 
with a promising family of little ones from four to six in num- 
ber, and if you can take such a family under your supervision 
and " grow up with them," as it were, you will be amply re- 
paid by the amusement the merry little creatures will afford 
and by the opportunity to observe, with the privilege of an 
intimate friend, their house-keeping and manner of life. 



368 What a Girl Can Do 

You will know 

The Red Squirrel 

by his color, during the summer it is a red-brown with a 
white vest bordered on the sides with a dark line. He 
changes his coat twice a year, and his winter garment is 
duller and not nearly so red, while the vest is gray without 
the dark border. 

When you find a squirrel's nest in the crotch of a tree 
instead of in a hole you may be pretty sure it belongs to 
the gray squirrel, which is said to be the most easily tamed 
of all its family. 

Do not mistake 

The Chipmunk 

for a squirrel, although he does resemble one and his lively 
chatter seems to be in the same language. He is, in fact, 
sometimes called a ground squirrel, but in reality he is 
only a distant cousin. 

You will not be so apt to find him in the interior of the 
woods as in more open places ; his favorite promenade is 
the top of a stone wall or rail fence. He is a little fellow 
with a flat, bushy tail and well-developed cheek pouches, 
which he fills with seeds and nuts until his cheeks are 
puffed out equal to a boy's when he eats an apple. 

The tawny little chipmunk of the Eastern States has 
two white stripes and five narrow black ones down its 
back. In the West there are other varieties, the little 
black and white striped fellow of the Rocky Mountains 
being the prettiest and tamest. 

The chipmunk is an engaging little creature, tamer even 
than the squirrel, and he will often come close to the house 
and sometimes enter it in search of food , it is the dogs that 
generally drive him away, for no dog, however well behaved, 






Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 369 

can resist chasing a chipmunk. He is easy game, for he 
seldom climbs a tree, and unless he can find refuge in his 
hole or under the wood-pile his life is soon the forfeit. 

Do not look in a tree for the chipmunk's nest, you will 
not find it there, but perhaps at the foot of the very pine 
under which you are standing, or beneath the large rock 
which lies in your path there is a small hole opening into 
a little hollow, and in this underground chamber is the 
soft, warm nest and the store of food which the chipmunk 
has providently laid by. Here it sleeps through the cold 
winter months, waking only to eat a few nuts, seeds, or 
grains of corn, soon to drowse again, and remain asleep until 
spring has come once more. 

When you see a small, brown, long-bodied animal, not 
much larger than a rat, running swiftly along the ground, 
you may be pretty sure it is our neighbor 

The Weasel 

His home is probably near the river or the borders of the 
meadow, but he hunts his game with such intelligence and 
persistence it is possible to meet him almost anywhere. 
We frequently hear this little animal spoken of, not always 
with praise, and it is strange he so seldom crosses our 
path, for he does not stand in much fear of his human 
neighbors. The weasel is very quick and active, and also 
quite inquisitive ; it lives on frogs, birds, eggs, and mice, 
and the farmers complain that it seeks larger game in their 
poultry yards. 

Mr. Dan Beard tells an interesting story of a walk in the 
woods where he found a weasel asleep in a deserted crow's 
nest at the top of a tall tree. It is possible the little brown 
intruder might have been able to explain just why the nest 
was empty of all save himself. 
24 



370 IVhat a Girl Can Do 

The sharpness and cunning of the weasel's character is 
shown in its face. A low forehead, pointed nose, eyes small 
and penetrating plainly denote these qualities, yet it is a 
most interesting little animal and well worth all the study 
and observation you can give it. 

A very small neighbor to be found on the borders of the 
woods or a shady road is the pretty, harmless 

Salamander 

Seldom more than two and one-half inches long, this little 
creature is slender and daintily made, with a tail quite the 
length of its head and body. Its skin is smooth, not scaled 
like the lizard's, and is generally brilliant in color. One 
variety is bright red, darker on the back, where it has spots 
of a brighter red encircled with dark rings. I have found 
many of them in Pike County, Pa., and always in damp 
places, though never in the water. There is another kind 
that lives in the water, but my little red friends, while lov- 
ing dampness, remain always on land. You will generally 
find them under stones or logs, and after a shower they are 
also to be met in the open, though they do not travel far 
from their haunts. Take one up in your hand and examine 
the delicate forefeet, so much like fairy hands. They will 
cling to your finger in the most winning fashion and you 
may examine the little animal at leisure, for it is clean and 
harmless. If you wish to keep the salamander for further 
study, place it in a perforated box with damp moss or even 
damp blotting-paper, and remember to keep it moist, other- 
wise it will simply dry up. I know whereof I speak, for a 
friend who was with me in the mountains, wishing to carry 
two of the salamanders home with her, placed them in a box 
without moisture of any kind and when we lifted the lid the 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 371 

next morning the poor little creatures were dead and as dry 
as two sticks. 

The salamander feeds on small insects, but I have never 
seen them eat in captivity. That they may be safely trans- 
ported and established in new homes has been proved, for a 
gentleman from Seattle, Wash., who was visiting at our 
Pike County, Pa., camp, became so deeply interested in 
these creatures he took a pail of them across the continent, 
and at last accounts they were living in his garden, to all 
appearances quite as comfortably as in their native woods. 

On the trunks of some of the great trees you are pass- 
ing you may possibly see a number of queer, semi-trans- 
parent shells. These are the cast-off armor of 

The Cicadas 

Locusts you will probably call them, but that name 
rightly belongs to quite another insect. Perfect in every de- 
tail, even to the great bulging eyes, the cicada's little coat of 
mail clings to the tree with its six pairs of claws like a live 
creature, and only a split down its back shows its emptiness 
and tells how the cicada crept from the old into a newer 
and fuller life. 

The shells one usually finds belong to quite a large 
black and green insect, one of the more common species of 
cicada. This is called the dog-day harvest fly, and requires 
but two years to develop, while the smaller red and black 
variety is known as the "seventeen year locust," because it 
spends seventeen years of its life underground before it 
reaches maturity. All this while it bears the name of 
nymph. A pretty name for the young insect, isn't it ? 

The nymph began life as an egg which its mother de- 
posited, with a number of others, in a slit she made in a twig 
of a tree. For six weeks it lay snugly in its narrow bed, 



37 2 



What a Girl Can Do 



then came forth a tiny white creature, with little legs which 
carried it about in a lively manner. Its mouth was simply 
a hollow tube which would change into jaws later on. For 
a while the nymph was happy in its new-found life, then 

suddenly a longing for quiet 
seemed to come over it and 
it dropped to the ground, 
there to bury itself in the 
earth, which was to be its 
home for many years. 

Down in the mysterious 
darkness, in that busy world 
where so much we do not 
understand is going on, the 
little nymph grew very 
slowly for a year, nourished 
by the juices of the roots he 
found near him and which 
he sucked up through his 
tube-like mouth. Then he 
shed his first skin for an- 
other, which gave him 
greater freedom for further 
growth. After a time this 
skin was also discarded, an- 
other and another, until, we are told, six times his garment 
was changed while yet he was deep in the earth, with no 
one to see and admire his new attire. Then when seven- 
teen long years were passed and his days of preparation 
were accomplished, he dug his way up into a new world at 
the dictate of a new impulse, and one evening he emerged 
to find himself in a goodly company of his kind, all intent 
upon reaching a still greater height. The tree under which 




Cicada and Shell. 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 373 

he had lived so long was his goal, and up this he made his 
way for some distance , then, forcing his little claws into the 
bark, he clung to his place awaiting his final transformation. 

Presently his nymph-skin opened down the back and the 
cicada, a nymph no longer, crawled slowly out. White 
again as when he first saw the light, except for two black 
spots on his back, soft and helpless he clung anew to the 
bark. At first his wings were so much a part of his body 
you would have thought he had none, but almost immedi- 
ately they began to unfold and grow, becoming transparent 
and firm as he waved them slowly back and forth. During 
the night his color was marvellously changed from white 
to black and red, and the next morning came his season of 
rejoicing. With all faculties fully alive, he joined the 
chorus of the other cicadas and the woods were made to 
resound with their high, rasping notes. 

By the way, do you know 

How the Insects Sing? 

Or, rather, they do not sing , the noise they make is instru- 
mental, not vocal, and their instruments are usually carried 
under their wings, a part of themselves to be played upon 
at will, when and where they choose. 

The cicada's instrument is a kind of drum, and, as if one 
would not be sufficiently noisy, he carries two, one behind 
each of his hind wings. He has no drum-sticks, but 
vibrates his drums until the natural buzzing sound rises 
almost to a shriek. Other insects play on other instru- 
ments, but, however the sound is made, each species has a 
note of its own, not to be mistaken for that of any other. 

Deep in the forests where the dead leaves and pine- 
needles cover the ground you will be likely to find the 
well-known 



374 IV hat a Girl Can Do 

Indian Pipe 

the delight of all children and an object of interest to 
everyone. This wonderful little ghost flower, so purely, 
white and so quickly blighted by exposure to sunlight 
appears to live for its beauty alone. As far as we know it 
is of absolutely no use, and does not even provide for itself, 
as do other plants. It is a root parasite and draws its 
nourishment from the roots of the pine upon which it has 
fastened itself. The stem as well as the blossom is silvery 
white, it has no foliage, and the flower at the end of the 
stalk bends its head as though ashamed of its idle life, but 
it continues to live on the vital juices of the roots and we 
call it the Indian Pipe because it somewhat resembles the 
long-stemmed Indian calumet, or pipe of peace. The botan- 
ists, however, know it as the Monotropa Uniflora. 

Another beautiful inhabitant of the deep woods is the 

Moccasin Flower 

which arrays itself every summer in its spotted pink or 
yellow dress, and stands as proudly erect on its slender 
stalk as though troops of admirers were to pass its way, 
when, in fact, it is rarely seen save by those who seek it. 
As its name suggests, it resembles an Indian moccasin in 
shape, the hanging pouch forming the toe, while the heel is 
clasped by five pointed and twisted petals. Over the open- 
ing of the pouch there is a little flap, which has much to do 
with the fertilization of the flowers. The botanical name 
of this little orchid is the Cypripediiun, and some call it 
lady-slipper, though it looks not at all like your slipper or 
mine. 

As you walk on under the interlacing branches of the 
close-growing trees, look about for evidences of the 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 375 



Engraver Beetle 

Pull the bark from a dead trunk or limb and you will prob- 
ably find its trade-mark. Fig. 620 is one pattern, but there 
are various others, among' them a spiral 
design cut as smoothly as though done 
with an engraver's chisel. 

These little workers in wood are but 
babies, being the larvse of the engraver' 
beetle, which, deposited as eggs under the 
bark of a dead tree, turn into worm-like 
creatures and eat their way along the sur- 
face of the sap-wood, tracing the cabalistic 
designs in their progress. When fully 
developed the beetle is still a wee thing, 
the largest being not over a quarter of an 
inch in length. Some are brown in color 
and some black. 

Drop your eyes now and look for 

Footprints 

in the soft earth. You will frequently find 

them around ponds and the margin of 

brooks. They make a most interesting 

study, and will soon enable you to learn which of your 

forest neighbors has visited the spot before you. 

A small, delicate impression, much like that of a dainty 
little hand, will show that 




Fig. 620. 



The 'Coon 

has been along, and this is all you are likely to see of him 
unless you take a moonlight stroll, for Master 'Coon shuns 
daylight, and is about only at night. Being a pretty and an 



376 What a Girl Can Do 



intelligent little animal, he is sometimes tamed and even 
allowed the freedom of the house, like a dog or cat, but 
'coons are as mischievous as monkeys, and very frequently 
the little hands are used to work disaster among the house- 
hold gods. When that occurs a chain is used to keep 
Master 'Coon out of further trouble and consequent punish- 
ment. 

The 'coon's fur is long, thick, and of a pepper-and-salt 
gray. Its tail is decorated with rings, and its broad white 
face is marked with three radiating black lines across the 
forehead and black settings to its eyes. 

Though all you find is the footprint of this nocturnal 
little fellow you may rest assured that somewhere, just 
above your head perhaps, he is snugly curled up in the 
hollow of a dead limb awaiting the darkness, when he will 
sally forth to seek his supper. 

In the softly creeping twilight, when the woods become 
more mysterious, and one's nerves are almost like the wild 
things in their quick response to sudden noises, the night 
prowlers begin to awake and stir about. Before darkness 
quite settles down is the time to make the acquaintance of 
the night birds, nocturnal insects, and some of the small ani- 
mals which avoid the garish light of day. 

Though they love darkness better than light these little 
creatures are just as harmless as the ones you have seen in 
the genial sunshine. Do not be startled, then, if a small 
dark body suddenly sails through the air near you, but 
watch it in its flight, see how it courses downward, always 
downward, on a gradual incline until, with a short upward 
curve, it alights on a low branch or trunk of a tree. From 
the summit of a tall pine its flight has been, perhaps, fifty 
yards, yet it has no wings and in the dim light you will 
see before you only a big-eyed, satin-coated little squir- 







Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 377 

rel, and you will have met, it may for the first time, your 

neighbor 

The Flying Squirrel 

Look closely and notice that he wears a suit of brownish 
gray, white underneath, bordered with black, which fits him 
so loosely about the legs and sides that when he stretches out 
and flattens himself he may 
almost be said to be web- 
legged, and can sail through 
the air like a parachute. 

The natural home of the 
flying squirrel is a hole in 

, , 1 Flying Squirrel. 

a tree, where he makes a 

soft nest, deep enough to burrow into until completely hid- 
den. But a hole anywhere, except in the ground, attracts 
him. Whole families will take up their quarters in an unoc- 
cupied house if they can squeeze themselves through some 
crack or crevice, and will frequently refuse to vacate when 
the rightful owner appears and claims the premises. 

I have several times made pets of the young flying 
squirrels, and they are the prettiest, most friendly and en- 
tertaining little things imaginable, as tame as kittens and as 
harmless. They are nocturnal in their habits, sleeping all 
day in their woolly nests and scampering about all night, 
full of mischief and merry play. 

If you wake one of the baby squirrels from its nap and 
take the drowsy little thing in your hands you will love it 
immediately ; it is so soft, so babyish, so unresisting. 

A rare but most beautiful dweller in the woods is the 

Luna Moth 

named for the moon and sometimes called the " queen of 
night." One evening just at dusk it was my good fortune 



378 



What a Girl Can Do 



to find a luna moth clinging to a forest tree by the road- 
side. It had but recently emerged from its chrysalis and 
was slowly moving its delicate wings back and forth, dry- 
ing them in the warm night air and strengthening them for 
flight. 

The Tropcea luna, as the scientists call it, is one of the 
giant silk-worm moths. It has the large, fuzzy body of the 




Luna Moth. 

moth, with the feather-like antennae ; but its wings are 
unusual in shape. Nearest the tail they are extended to 
form long appendages, which curve gracefully out- 
ward. The color is a delicate light green, the edges 
of the fore-wings are bordered with a band of purplish 
brown, and they are further ornamented with four large 
eyes. 

Look on the ground under the walnut, hickory, or other 
hard-wood trees for the cocoon, as it is on these trees the 
larva feeds. 

When daylight comes again seek the path which leads 
through 






Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 379 

Orchard and Field 

and once more you are among the little folk who love the 
warm, bright sunshine. 

The birds leave the shade to sit on the old rail fence and 
sing joyously. You will see the busy little wren here, trip- 
ping about importantly, and the song-sparrow, too, which 
loves to perch on the top rail and sing its heart away. 
Hidden deep in the tangled grass or nestled amid the clover 
you may find the nest of the bobolink. Do you know the 
lines which occur in one of Saxe Holm's stories : 

" I wonder what the clover thinks ? 
Intimate friend of the bobolinks." 

When you remember these }^ou will remember to look 
for the bobolink where you see the red clover. 

There is a concert going on at this very minute ; do you 
hear it? The high soprano is taking the lead, the soft, 
gurgling notes of the contralto are coming in, and now the 
whole chorus has burst into song and one of the sweetest 
of Nature's anthems is being given. You must hear it, 
some of you, for no matter what the season, in this great 
land of ours, somewhere the warm summer sun is shining, 
somewhere, without money and without price, these beau- 
tiful songsters are pouring out their souls in exquisite 
melody. 

Stop and think what the birds are doing for you ; think 
of what life would be without them and how near akin 
they are to all that is joyous and bright within you ; read 
" The Birds of Killingworth " in Longfellow's " Tales of a 
Wayside Inn" and then wear the dead bodies of your little 
friends on your hats if you can. 

As you cross the pasture be on the lookout for the 



3 8o 



IVhat a Girl Can Do 



Woodchuck's Hole 

It is generally on the side of a hill or knoll, and in front of 
it is a small pile of earth which the woodchuck has taken 
out in his excavations. The hole is large enough for a small 
dog to enter, and leads to several tunnels, some of them 
twenty or twenty-five feet long. If you remain quietly near 
for awhile perhaps you will be rewarded by seeing the 




Woodchuck and His Hole. 



woodchuck, or ground-hog, as he is sometimes called, peep 
cautiously out of his front door and then come boldly forth 
to look about and see what is going on in the outer world. 
Make a sudden noise and he will sit up on his haunches with 
hanging forefeet, like a begging dog, and then dart into 
his hole to remain in hiding until it seems safe for him to 
venture out again. 

The woodchuck is a snub-nosed little animal, a trifle 
larger than a good-sized rabbit. Its tail is short and bushy 
and its hair long, coarse, and of a brownish color, ears low 
and inconspicuous, and eyes round and bright. At the ap- 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 381 

proach of winter he retires to his nest, which is in a cham- 
ber at the farthest end of his longest tunnel, there to sleep 
or hibernate until spring. A popular legend has it that on 
the second day of February the ground-hog — he is always a 
ground-hog in this connection — is sure to be up and out to 
see how high the sun is and investigate the general progress 
of things. 

You know the rest of the story ; how he prophesies an early 
or late spring by his actions on this important day. If he stays 
out we will have an early spring ; if he goes back we will have 
winter weather for six weeks longer; and his going and 
staying are determined by the sun. This is because the 
ground-hog is supposed to be absurdly afraid of his shadow, 
which he has not seen for so long, and if the bright sunshine 
reveals it to him he is said to return ignominiously to his 
hole, where he will remain for another six weeks. If, on 
the other hand, the day proves cloudy, and there are no 
shadows to alarm him, he concludes that he has slept quite 
long enough, that there will be no more winter, and that it 
is high time to be up and about his business. 

The farmers hunt the woodchuck because of its voracious 
appetite for green things. They say it takes more than its 
share of the farm products, and they make forcible objec- 
tions. 

June is the time to find the baby woodchucks, which in 
this month play like puppies around the entrance to their 
home. 

And now these few remaining pages must be devoted to 
our small neighbors of 

The Sea-shore 

To some of them at least ; a volume would not give space 
for all. 



382 IVhat a Girl Can Do 

It is on rocky coasts or the shores of bays and inlets that 
you will find most of the creatures which make their home 
on the borders of the vast and mighty ocean. Along a 
rugged shore like that of Maine, where the storms and 
great breakers carry the water high upon the rocks, little 
pools are formed, and in one of these natural aquariums there 
is enough life for a summer's study. 

Undisturbed by the rising and falling tide, the water is 
transparently clear, and you can see distinctly all the inhab- 
itants of this little water-world. Clinging to the rocky sides 
are what appear to be silvery pink moss and brilliant 
aquatic flowers. Lying at the bottom or amid the jagged 
stones are round, prickly looking balls which resemble chest- 
nut burs, some of them no larger than a tiny pearl but- 
ton. So much like vegetables do all these things appear, 
it seems hardly possible they are animals ; yet the moss is 
sometimes called the 

Nurse of the Jelly-fish 

and some of the small bubble-like bags clinging to its stems, 
which give it the silvery appearance, are full of eggs that 
will hatch into minute jelly bodies. After various trans- 
formations and subdivisions these bodies develop into the 
wonderfully beautiful and fairy-like jelly-fish which you 
find swimming in the deep waters of the bay, some of them 
trailing long, filmy, lace-like skirts or veils as they move. 

The delicate red, green, yellow, pink, and lavender blos- 
soms, which add so much to the beauty of the pool, are 

Sea-anemones 

Animals, too, every one, living only on animal food, which 
they find and absorb in a peculiar manner. The fringed 
petals are in reality tentacles that reach out and draw food 



Some of Our Out-door Neighbors 383 






into the mouth at the centre, from which it is taken into the 
stomach just below. 

How the baby sea-anemones are born, how they are 
cared for by their mother, how they are at first " foot loose " 
and afterward become fixtures on the rocks, you must 
study out for yourselves ; the description here is but an 
introduction at best and must be necessarily brief. 

The queer-looking green burs, which you will see mov- 
ing about if you watch them closely, are the 

Sea Urchins 

You have, perhaps, found some of their beautiful shells on 

the beach, empty of all life and bleached quite white by 

the sun. Where the green spines 

grew are regular rows of bead-like 

projections, looking like strings of 

pearls ; but, lovely and pure as the 

shells are, they cannot possibly be 

as interesting as the real creatures, 

full of life, crawling about at the 

bottom of the crystal pool on 
the tips of their prickly look- 
ing spines. 

I have never found a live 
sea-urchin except in these 
quiet pools, probably because 
they do not like to subject 
themselves to the buffeting 

waves, and when in deep water hide in the crevices of the 

rocks or bury themselves in the seaweed. 

Unlike the sea-anemone, they are vegetarians and sel- 
dom indulge in animal food. The mouth is underneath 

the little animal, where you find the round hole in the shell. 




Shell of Sea Urchin. 




Sea Urchin. 



384 What a Girl Can Do 

Starfish 

too you will probably see crawling over the rocks at the 
bottom of the pool. Although called by that name, these 
strange, five-fingered creatures are no more fish than the 
sea-urchins, and their life is not so much of the water as of 
the ground below. The starfish may swim, but it greatly 
prefers gliding about over the slippery stones and sandy 
bottom, searching for the small shellfish which form its 
food. If you will place a starfish in a small fish globe filled 
with salt water, or in any clear glass vessel that is large 
enough, you can see its numberless feet, which are little 
tubes projecting from the under side of the five rays. This 
wonderful waving mass of tube feet is quite concealed when 
we look at the animal from above, and until we have dis- 
covered them its rapid movements seem very marvellous. 

There are barnacles looking like a part of the rock to 
which they are firmly attached, tiny crabs darting hither 
and thither, various species of small mollusks and numerous 
other forms of salt-water life to be found in Nature's beauti- 
ful rock aquariums, but we must leave you to make their 
acquaintance alone, while wishing you much joy and happi- 
ness in your intercourse with these and all of your little 
neighbors. 









INDEX 



"Abe" Lincoln log-cabin, how to build, 

194 
Acorn bucket, "Abe" Lincoln cabin, 

207 
Acorn made from egg, 38 
Active games, 322 
All-cotton rugs, 158 
Alphabet, living, 303 
Animals, to make a Noah's ark, 164 
Animals, vegetable, 101 
Apples, Christmas, 269 
Apples, to make flower feast, 177 
Apple-seed charms, 297 
Arch, to make spool memorial, 240 
Ark, peanut Noah's, 163 
Ark, to make the, 172 
Armless bust, 285 
Auger-bit, 8 

B 

Ball, basket, 348 

Bamboo pistol, 144 

Bark, for "Abe" Lincoln cabin roof, 

203 
Basket ball playing-ground, 346 
Basket-ball rules, 360 
Basket, corn-husk, 60 
Basket-weaving, 185 
Baskets of green burs, 180, 181 
Bedposts, naming the, 295 
Birch-bark canoe, 212 

20 385 



Blackboard drawing, 215 
Blotting-paper, for painting monotypes, 

Bobbinet bags, 253 

Bonbons, snapping, 179 

Bones, 232 

Books, to illustrate, 82 

Boxes, to make fancy Christmas, 252 

Brace, 48 

Braiding palm grasses and corn-husks, 

64 
Brownie, to make from egg, 34 
Bubbles, spool, 241 
Bucket, acorn, 207 
Bugle-horn, 231 

Burs, baskets made of, 180, 181 
Bust, armless, 285 
Butterfly ink, 122 
Butterfly paper, 51 
Button-mould tops, 132 



Calendar, to make a, 80 

Calumet, sparkling, 140 

Camels, to make Noah's ark, 167 

Cannon, spool, 243 

Canoe, birch -bark, 212 

Canoe, birch-bark for, 203 

Canopy, merry - go - round, to make, 

127 
Captain, basket ball, 349 
Centres, basket ball, 354 



3 86 



Index 



Chair, hooded, made from packing-box, 

21 
Charms, apple-seed, 297 
Chicken, to make Noah's ark, 168 
Chimney, "Abe" Lincoln log-cabin, 201 
Chimney, pasteboard, 112 
Chipmunk, 368 
Chisel, 4, 8 

Christmas decoration, to make, 244 
Christmas devices, 260 
Christmas pie, an all-day, 260 
Christmas stockings, 253 
Christmas tray, 265 
Church, pasteboard, 107, 108 
Cicadas, 371 

Circus, the hoop game, 328 
Clothes-press, portable corner, 15 
Collections, 69 
Color basket, 192 
Color letter, 276 
Color schemes for rugs, 154 
Colored pictures, 83 
Comb, musical, 233 
Comet, rushing, 143 
Cone hanging basket, 58 
'Coon, 375 

Country garden in city, 310 
Corn-husk basket, 60 
Corn-husks, braiding, 64 
Cornucopias, 253 
Costume, statuary tableaux, 282 
Cotton dyes, 162 
Cotton rugs, 158 
Covers, basket, 191 
Cranberries, strings of red, 256 
Crook, sheep and shepherd's, to make, 

246 
Croquet, parlor, 341 ; rules, 343 
Crystal flute, 232 
Cups, to make flower feast, 178 



Daisy, to draw a, 225 

Dance, flag, 130 

Dandelion games, 181 

Dishes made from eggs, 36 

Doors, from "Abe" Lincoln log-cabin, 

199 ; how to hang, 200 
Dove, to make from an egg, 28 
Drawing-class, home, 107 
Dreams, Halloween, 298 
Dressing-table, to make a, II 
Duck, to draw a, 223 
Dulcimer, to make a, 229 
Dyes, rug, 160, 162 



Easel, valentine, 91 

Easter hare, 32 

Easter lily, 52 

Easter, paper, 45 

Egg changed into rooster, 46 

Egg, possibilities of an Easter, 26 

Egg, slippers made from egg, 41 

Egg, spinning, 30 

Egg, to make brownies from, 34 

Eggs, hares made from, ^ ; fruits, vege- 
tables, opera-glasses, and dishes made 
from, 36; radish, 37; watermelon, 
plum, acorn, 38 ; a dainty vase, a tea- 
pot, 39 ; sugar-bowl, egg dippers, 41 

Eggs, paper, 45 

Egyptian statue, 287 

Elephant, to make Noah's ark, 168 

Engraver beetle, 375 



Fastenings, basket, 191 
Feather tests, 293 



I 






_ 



Index 



387 



Fence, "Abe" Lincoln cabin, 210 


Gimlet, 7 


Fence, pin-wheel, 137 


Going to market, 332 


Festoons, Christmas-tree, 248 


Gouge, 4, 8 


Festoons, holly-leaved, 254 


Grass-blade, musical, 234 


File, 4, 9 


Greek temple, to make spool, 237 


Finger-bowls, musical, 230 


Guard, basket ball, 355 


Fire-cracker, valentine, 95 


Guest book, to make a, 78 


Fireplace, magic, 263 




Fire rug, 155 


H 


Fish, to draw, 221 


Fish, to make flower feast, 176 


Halloween fortunes, 293 


Flag dance, 130 


Hammer, 3, 5 


Flower feast, 175 


Hand pin-wheel, 136 


Flower pad valentine, 95 


Hare, Easter, 32 


Flower -stand, to make a piazza, 17 


Hares made from eggs, 33 


Flower writing, 273 


Harp, to make a, 228 


Flying squirrel, 377 


Hatchet, 6 


Fortune wheel, 300 


Head, to draw a, 220 


Forwards, basket ball, 354 


Heads, to paint, 149 


Fouls, basket ball, 363 


Heart-shaped valentine, 94 


Four-leaved clover valentine, 90 


Hen, to draw, 217 


Friendship garden, 320 


Hinges, basket, 192 


Fringe, ruching, 249 


Home drawing-class, pasteboard models 


Fringe, rug, 159 


for, 107 


Frog, swimming, made from an egg, 26 


Home-made pyrotechnics, 135 


Fruit lanterns, 101 


Hoop dance, 324 


Fruit salad, to make flower feast, 177 


Hoop-race game, 329 


Fruits made from eggs, 36 


Hoop tag, 327 


Furniture, set of spool, to make, 238 


Horses, fantastic ink, 122 


G 


House, pasteboard, 111 


Houses, 10 


Galatea, 288 


I 


Games, active, 322 




Games, expensive, with little or no ex- 


Illustrating, books, 82 


pense, 334 


Indian pipe, 374 


Garden, friendship, 320 ; memory, 321 


Indian powwow, 274 


Garden, real summer, 313 ; water gar- 


Ink, landscapes, marines, 119; butter- 


den, 314; soil for, 315 


fly, fantastic horses, 122 ; pair of 


Gardens, odd, 310 


birds, 123 


Ghost ideas, 299 


Ink pictures, 1 18 



388 



Index 



J 

Jelly, 269 

Jelly-fish, 382 

Jewelry, Christmas-tree, 257 

Jumping-rope conquer game, 330 

K 

Kaleidoscope in an egg, 31 



Lake, to make a, 204 

Lamp, to make spool, 239 

Landscapes, ink, 119 

Lantern, pumpkin, 105, 106 

Lanterns, fruit, 101 

Lavender sticks, 62 

Letter of color, 276 

Lights for statuary tableaux, 282 

Lily, paper Easter, 52 

Linesmen, basket ball, 352 

Living alphabet, 303 

Lobsters, to make Noah's ark, 170 

Log-cabin, "Abe" Lincoln, how to 

build, 194 
Luna moth, 377 

M 

Magic fireplace, 263 

Marble flesh, to make, 284 

Marble locks, to make, 284 

Marines, ink, 1 19 

Mats, sweet-grass, 59 

Memorial arch, to make spool, 240 

Memory garden, 321 

Merry-go-round, 125 

Mitre-box, 10 

Moccasin flower, 374 

Models, pasteboard, 107 



Monotone monotypes, 151 
Monotypes, 148; monotone, 151; pa- 
pers for painting, 152 
Morning-glory, 183 
Mounting pictures, 70 
Moving toys, 125 
Musical instruments, home-made, 227 

N 

Naming the bedposts, 295 
Net, ping pong, 336 
Noah, to make, 171 
Noah's ark, a peanut, 163 



Observation notes, 366 

Odd gardens, 310 

Officials, basket ball, 350 

Opera-glasses made from eggs, 36 

Original valentines, 89 

Ostrich, paper, 45 

Owl, to make Noah's ark, 169 



Palm-grasses, braiding, 64 

Paper chains, colored Christmas, 257 

Paper Easter, 45 

Paper, musical, 227 

Paper, to prepare for picture mounting, 

72 
Parthenon, to make spool, 236 
Passing by, 332 
Pasteboard church, 107; house, ill J 

tower, 113; steeple, 113; chimney, 

112; pyramid, 107 
Pasteboard models for home drawing. 

class, 107 
Pasteboard pistol, 144 



Index 



389 



Peanut, Noah's ark, 163 

Peanuts, Christmas, 256 

Pedestals, statuary tableaux, 282 

Penguin, paper, 45 

Photograph book, 84 

Photographs, 83 

Picture hanging, 73 

Picture writing, 271 

Pictures, mounting, 69 

Pictures, quick ink, 118 

Pie, an all-day Christmas, 260 

Piece de resistance, 268 

Pig, blackboard, 215 

Pineapple, to make flower feast, 175 

Ping pong, 334 

Pin-wheel, three-story, red, white, and 

blue, 135; in your hands, 136; on 

the fence, 137 
Pistol, pasteboard or bonbon, 144 
Plane, 4, 7 

Plants, ink sketches from, 123 
Plants, water, 316 
Players, set, in basket ball, 349 
Plum, made from egg, 38 
Pop-corn balls, 255 
Portfolio, to make a, 74 
Portiere, to make effective, 246 
Portrait medallion, 286 
Potato turkey, 102 
Printing, monotypes, 150 
Prints, to make a collection of, 69 
Priscilla rugs, 153 
Pumpkin lantern, 105, 106 
Pygmalion, 288 
Pyramid, pasteboard, 107 
Pyrotechnics, home-made, 135 



Quick ink pictures, 1 18 



Rabbit, paper, 45 

Rabbit, to make a Noah's ark, 167 

Raccoon, 375 

Racquets, ping pong, 335 

Radish made from eggs, 37 

Rags, how to cut and sew, 157 

Raisin turtle, 105 

Red, white, and blue, ^Z 

Reeds for basket-weaving, 186 

Referee, basket ball, 350 

Rice-paper, for printing monotypes, 151 

Roman candle, 142 

Roof, "Abe " Lincoln log-cabin, 201 

Rooster, made from egg, 46 

Rooster, paper, 45 

Rose, to draw a, 218 

Rugs, Priscilla, 153; color schemes 
for, 154; fire, 155; weight of rags 
for, 156; cotton and wool, all-cotton. 
158 

Rule, 7 

Rules, basket ball, 360 

Rules, ping pong, 337 

Rushing comet, 143 



Salamander, 370 

Santa Claus, to make, 266 

Saucers, to make flower feast, 178 

Saw, 3, 4, 6 

Sawbuck, " Abe" Lincoln cabin, 213 

Sconce, 248 

Scorer, basket ball, 351 

Scoring, ping pong, 338 

Screw-driver, 6 

Sea-anemones, 382 

Sea-shells, musical, 234 



39° 



Index 



Sea-urchins, 383 

Sewing-machine, a make-believe, 34c 

Shepherd's crook, to make, 246 

Shields, living alphabet, 309 

Shoat, lemon, 103 

Sign language, 271 

Sky-rockets, 146 

Snap-fire, 142 

Soil for water garden, 315 

Sparkling calumet, 140 

Spiders, to make Noah's ark, 166 

Sponge, green, 318 

Spool bubbles, 241 

Spool cannon, 243 

Spools, what to make of empty, 236 

Spring, " Abe " Lincoln cabin, 204 

Squirrel, 367 ; red, 368 

Squirrel, flying, 377 

Starfish, 384 

Statuary tableaux, 281 

Steeple, pasteboard, 113 

Storks, to make Noah's ark, 170 

Sugar-bowl, made from egg, 41 

Suit, basket ball, 364 

Sunshine diary, to make, 75 

Sweet-grass mats, 59 

Symbols, 273 



Tableaux subjects, 285 

Teapot, made from egg, 39 

Tea-table, to make a five o'clock, 16 

Temple, to make spool, 237 

Terms, ping pong, 339 

Time-keeper, basket ball, 352 

Toast, to serve, 267 

Tool-chest, 4 

Tool-rack, 5 

Tools, 4 

Tools, how to use, 5 



Touchstone charm, 294 

Towel-rack, to make, 14 

Tower, pasteboard, 113 

Toys, 125 

Toys, button-mould, 132 

Tray, Christmas, 265 

Trees, "Abe" Lincoln cabin, 208 

Try- square, 4, 9 

Tulip, to draw a, 224 

Turkey, potato, 102 

Turtle, made from raisin, 105 

Turtles, to draw, 222 



U 



Umpire, basket ball, 351 



V 

Vacation work with Nature's materials, 

57 
Valentines, original, 89; four-leaved 

clover, 90; easel, 91; heart-shaped. 

93; fire-cracker, 94; pot of flowers, 

95 ; little friend, 98 
Vase, a dainty, made from egg, 39 
Vegetable animals, 101 
Vegetables, growing in water, 319 
Vegetables, made from eggs, 36 
Vines, ink sketches from, 123 



w 

Wagon, to make spool, 239 
Walk, "Abe" Lincoln cabin, 205 
Walnuts, gilded English, 258 
Warps, rag, 159 
Wash-stand, to make a, 14 
Water garden, 314 



Index 



39i 



Watermelon, made from egg, 38 

Water plants, to procure, 316 

Weasel, 369 

Weavers and weft, 322 

Weaving materials, 185 

Well, "Abe" Lincoln cabin, 206 

Wings, pasteboard, 113 

Wings, to make hornet, 165 



Witch writing, 295 

Witchery, 292 

Wood, choosing the, 10 

Woodchuck, 380 

Wood-pile, "Abe" Lincoln, 213 

Wool dyes, 160 

Wool rugs, 158 

Workshop, 4 



THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 



THE AMERICAN GIRL'S HANDY BOOK 

HOW TO AMUSE YOURSELF AND OTHERS 

By LINA and ADELIA B. BEARD 

With nearly 500 Illustrations by the Authors 
One volume, square 8vo, $2.00 

Eight new chapters have been added to the forty-two which have carried 
this famous book to the hearts of all the young people since its first appear- 
ance, and everything that the girls of to-day want to know about their sports, 
games, and winter afternoon and evening work, is told clearly and simply 
in this helpful and entertaining volume. The volume is full}' and hand- 
somely illustrated from drawings by the authors, whose designs are in the 
best sense illustrative of the text. 

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS 

First of April — Wild Flowers and 
Their Preservation — The Walking 
Club — Easter-Egg Games — How to 
Make a Lawn Tennis Net — May- 
Day Sports — Midsummer - Eve 
Games and Sports — Sea-side Cot- 
tage Decoration — A Girl's Fourth 
of July — An Impression Album — 
Picnics, Burgoos, and Corn-Roasts 
— Botany as Applied to Art — Quiet 
Games for Hot Weather — How to 
Make a Hammock — Corn - Husk 
and Flower Dolls — How to Make 
Fans — All Hallow Eve — Nature's 
Fall Decorations and How to Use 
Them — Nutting Parties — How to 
Draw, Paint in Oil-colors, and 
Model in Clay and Wax — China 
Painting — Christmas Festivities, 
and Home-made Christmas Gifts — 
Amusements and Games for the 
Holidays — Golf — Bicycling — Swim- 
ming — Physical Culture — Girls' 
Clubs — A New Seashore Game- 
Apple Target Shooting — Water 
Fairies. 

Louisa M. Alcott wrote > " I have put it in my list of good and useful books for young 

Feople, as I have many requests for advice from my little friends and their anxious mothers, 
am most happy to commend your very ingenious and entertaining book." 

Grace Greenwood wrote: "It is a treasure which, once possessed, no practical girl 
would willingly part with. It is an invaluable aid in making a home attractive, comfortable, 
artistic, and refined. The book preaches the gospel of cheerfulness, industry, economy, and 
comfort." 




ThE'AMERI6AN:GIRLS 
DY:BOOK> 



'Hani 




BY 

Lina Beard 
and 
Adelia RBean 



N ewYor k 
C hades 

ScribnerS 
- Sons 




THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 



The Outdoor Handy Book 

FOR PLAYGROUND, FIELD AND FOREST 

By DANIEL C. BEARD 
"With more than 300 Illustrations by the Author. Square ovo, $2.00 



" It tells how to play all sorts of games with marbles, how to make and spin more kinds 
of tops than most boys ever heard of, how to make the latest things in plain and fancy kites, 
where to dig bait and how to fish, all about boats and sailing, and a host of other things which 

can be done outdoors. The volume is pro- 
fusely illustrated and will be an unmixed 
delight to any boy." — New York Tribune. 



SUMMARY OF CONTENTS 




The Outdoor 
Handy Book 




BY 

D.CBeard 

New Yo rk, 
Charles 
ScribneriS ~a 
Sons. 
1900 




Marbles — Tops — Latest Things 
in Kites — Aerial Fish and Dragons 
— Hoops and Wheels — How to 
Make the Sucker — Up in the Air 
on Stilts — Bait, Live and Dead — 
Fishing — Aquatic Sports — Rigs of 
All Kinds for Small Boats — Shells 
and Canoes — Hints for Collectors — 
Honey-Bee Messengers — A "Zoo" 
— Choosing Up and "It" — Count- 
ing Out Rhymes — Swimming — 
Games of Tag — I Spy — Leap Frog 
— Various Sports for Hot Days — 
Tip Cat — Games of Ball — Mumbly 
Peg, Hop-Scotch, and Jack Stones 
— Hints for Bicyclists — Camping 
Out — Boy's Ballista — "Tally-ho!" 
and Other Cries — Indian Games for 
Boys — Football — Golf, Hockey, 
and Shinny — Turtle Hunting — 
Skating — Stunning Muskrats and 
Fish — Snowball Battle and Snow 
Tag — Sleds. 



From Charles Dana Gibson : " It makes a man of a boy and a boy of a man." 

"This book is praiseworthy from end to end, and will find favor even with those who 
have long since passed to man's estate." — The Nation. 

" It is one of the completest things of the kind ever written, and with it one can hardly 
conceive how a bov could be without pleasant and profitable amusement at any time. It 
treats of directions' for everv season of the year, in and out of doors, and on land and water. 
One of the best things about it is that it furnishes employment for a boy's ingenuity and 
mechanical skill. It seems as if this book must be destined to au immense popularity." 

— The Advance. 






THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLb 



THE AMERICAN BOY'S HANDY BOOK 

Or, What To Do and How To Do It 

By DANIEL C BEARD 
One volume, 8vo, fully Illustrated by the Author, $2.00 




Mr. Beard's book tells the active, inventive, and practical American boy 
the things he really wants to know; the thousand things he wants to do, and 
the ten thousand ways in which he can do them, with the helps and ingen- 
ious contrivances which every boy can either procure or make. The author 
divides the book among the sports of the four seasons ; and he has made an 
almost exhaustive collection of the 
cleverest modern devices, besides 
himself inventing an immense num- 
ber of capital and practical ideas. 

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS 

Kite Time — War Kites — Novel 
Modes of Fishing — Home-made 
Fishing Tackle — How to Stock, 
Make, and Keep a Fresh - water 
Aquarium — How to Stock and Keep 
a MarineAquarium — Knots, Bends, 
and Hitches — Dredge, Tangle, and 
Trawl Fishing — Home-made Boats 
— How to Rig and Sail Small Boats 
— How to Camp Out Without a 
Tent— How to Rear Wild Birds — 
Home-made Hunting Apparatus — 
Traps and Trapping — Dogs — Prac- 
tical Taxidermy for Boys — Snow 
Houses and Statuary — Winged 
Skaters — Winter Fishing — Indoor 
Amusements — How to Make a 
Magic Lantern — Puppet Shows — ■ 
Home-made Masquerade and The- 
atrical Costumes — With many other 
subjects of a kindred nature. 

" It is an excellent publication, and is heartily recommended to parents." 

— The Brooklyn Eagle. 

" The book has this great advantage over its predecessors, that most of the games, tricks, 
and other amusements described in it are new. It treats of sports adapted to all seasons of 
the year; it is practical, and it is well illustrated."— The New York Tribune. 

"It tells boys how to make all kinds of things — boats, traps, toys, puzzles, aquariums, 
fishing tackle ; how to tie knots, splice ropes, to make bird calls, ffleds, blow guns, balloons ; 
how to rear wild birds, to train dogs, and do the thousand and one things that boys take de- 
light in. The book is illustrated in such a way that no mistake can be made ; and the boy 
who gets a copy of this book will consider himself set up in business." 

— The Indianapolis Journal. 



xhe:ameri6an:b0ys 
Hand^Book* 

BY 

iGBearcL, 




NevA5r]fc O/j 

Charles \l* 
Scribner'sft 
■ Sons/* 




THE BEARD BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 

The Jack of All Trades 

OR, NEW IDEAS FOR AMERICAN BOYS 

By DANIEL C. BEARD 
Profusely Illustrated. Square 8vo, $2.00 




" Every boy who is handy with tools 
of any sort will enjoy this book." 

— Youth' 's Companion. 

' ' This book is a capital one to give any 
boy for a present at Christmas, on a birthday, 
or indeed at any time." — The Outlook. 

" Full of new ideas for active boys who 
like to use tools and see interesting things 
growing under their hands." 

— JV. Y. Tribune. 

" A perfect treasure-house of things that 
delight the soul of a boy and keep him happy 
and busy." — The Interior. 

CONTENTS 
Part L Fair Weather Ideas 

Tree-Top Club-Houses — How to Capture and Trap Small Live Animals — 
The Back-Yard Zoo — A Back-Yard Fish-Pond — Pigeon and Bantam 
Coops — How to Make a Back-Yard Aviary — A Boy's Back-Yard Work- 
shop — How to Build an Underground Club-House — A Boys' Club-House 
on the Water — How to Have Fun on a Picnic — How to Build and How to 
Furnish a Daniel Boone Cabin — Flat Boatman's House — The American Boy's 
House Boat — Back-Yard Switchback— How to Build a Toboggan Slide in 
the Back-Yard. 

Part II* Rainy Weather Ideas 

A Home-Made Circus — Good Games with Toothpicks and Matches — Fun 
with Scissors and Pasteboard and Paper — How to Prepare and Give a Boys' 
Chalk Talk — A Christmas Novelty for Boys — How to Make Two Boys into 
One Santa Claus — A Circus in the Attic — A Boys' Stag Party — A Wild 
West Show in the House — How to Have a Panorama Show. 



CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, Publishers 

J 53- J 57 Fifth Avenue, New York 



